Breath of Fire: Decline
by joshuaorrizonte
Summary: The world is at peace, and technology rules supreme. Until a rogue Goddess decides that the Dragons are too powerful and technology too dangerous... BoFIII, prequel
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This story is based off of BoFIII, kind of a prequel. It takes place during the Techno Age, when the Guardians roamed around slaughtering the Dragons. Hopefully that's not TOO spoily. And hopefully you'll enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: This is a work of fan appreciation. I get no material compensation for writing this. The Breath of Fire world is copyrighted and belongs entirely to Capcom.

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Breath of Fire: Decline

Prologue

Another blow, hitting the floor one more time. Biting back the pain, the boy drew himself to his knees once more, then his feet. It was partially pride that made him continue to get up; like hell would this man see him submit. Most of his reason was that his father's punches and slaps hurt far less than his kicks. Being hit to unconsciousness was decidedly less painful than being kicked there.

The man roared in fury at seeing the bastard child rise again in defiance. He struck the boy once more this time throwing a good deal of magic into the blow. The boy reeled back, stumbling back against the wall with the force of it. Once the stars cleared from his vision, he saw his father standing over him, face splotchy and eyes dilated in uncontrolled rage. "By the gods, you've gone too far this time, _boy_," the man sputtered.

The child closed his eyes. _In the name of Ladon, Father, be a man for once in your life and _do it._ Don't leave me half-dead like all the other times..._

"_Aldin Markus Bateson!_ What in the living _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

The child opened his eyes again, in shock. These "disciplinary actions" were _never _interrupted. And yet, standing at the door of their quarters was no less than the Crown Prince of Dragnier, Kirai, with his son Ryu standing behind him. Neither father nor son looked very pleased; it appeared that the young Prince Ryu was severely winded, glowering hatefully at the boy's attacker. Prince Kirai wore no less a severe visage as he regarded Aldin. "What do you think you're doing?" he repeated, this time in a lowered tone of voice.

Aldin sneered. "It's none of your concern how I treat my servants, brother. Leave me be!"

"It _is_ my concern, especially when the servant in question is a _child!_" Kirai's scowl deepened, if it was at all possible. "My son tells me that the treatment of this boy that I just witnessed is _common_ for you. Who the hell do you think you are? What right do you have to beat a _child?"_

"That _boy_ ruined my life!"

"No, Aldin, you did that all on your own!"

"He's _my_ servant!"

"_He's your son!"_

At this, the enraged man picked up the nearest object and hurled it at Kirai. The Prince threw up a magical shield around himself and Ryu, the vase shattering harmlessly against the barrier. The child couldn't do anything but watch as the two men met and grappled, and Ryu sprinted around them to the cowering boy. The older child grabbed his arm firmly. "We have to get out of the way!"

Not knowing what to make of this sudden disruption in their routine, the child hesitated, staring wide-eyed at Ryu. The Prince repeated his plea, then saw another object hurtling at them from the corner of his eye. Ryu threw himself against the child, knocking them both out of the path of the glass, and the boy was finally able to move his body. Ryu tugged him underneath a table, and held the younger child tight in such a way that the boy couldn't see the altercation. "You don't want to look. Don't look at them. This isn't your fault. You didn't do anything bad." Ryu repeated those words rhythmically, like a mantra that would drown out the sounds of the fight.

At some point, Ryu's words ceased. The boy became aware of a third adult in the room now, and the Prince loosed his hold so that the child could look. For the first time, the boy was truly afraid as he saw who this newcomer was.

The King of Dragnier.

Was he in heaps of trouble now... the King was involved. He shouldn't be! He wasn't so important as to involve the King...

His father and the King spoke softly, until Aldin finally spat, "Fine, then. _You_ take care of that ingrate of a bastard. Get him out of my sight or I _will_ kill him! He's no right to live anyway!"

The King's answer was only slightly louder than the rest of his words had been, and he spoke them with a venom that surpassed any of his father's poison. "You ever claim that any living being has no right to live again, and you will not be a part of this court any longer. Am I clear, son?"

The last word struck a cold chord in the boy's chest. This was new... Aldin's response was to stalk from the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

An uneasy silence settled over the room. The fury in Kirai drained, and concern for the boy flashed on the Crown Prince's face before a forced benevolent indifference came over him. "It's okay to come out now. He won't hurt you any longer."

Unsure, the boy didn't budge. It was only through the older child's gentle coaxing that the boy eventually came to stand before the two adults. The King looked on him with heartbreaking pity. "What do we do with him now, Kirai?"

"I don't know, Father. I assumed that giving him to Aldin as a servant would have been a good move. He's probably worse off with him than he would have been in that sorry excuse for an orphanage."

Ryu cleared his throat. "Excuse me. May I speak?"

Both men looked intrigued. "Of course, Ryu," Kirai said with a smile. "We really need ideas right now."

Ryu looked at the boy, then at his hands. "Maybe... just... maybe he could... be one of _our_ servants," the child said meekly. "He already knows his way around and... and I think I want to get to know him better, too."

The smile faded from Kirai's face. "That's an idea," he said in a bland tone. "However, Ryu, he is-"

The King cut in. "Be very careful, Kirai. He has no more control over who he is than we do. We cannot punish him more than what Aldin already has. He didn't ask for this."

"Then what should I do?" Kirai responded. "He's completely unacknowledged. By the old laws, we can't acknowledge him, either."

The King paused, considered his answer carefully. "He may be unacknowledged. We may not be able to acknowledge him. Does that, then, change who he is to us? Are we to simply not care because his parents chose a poor path for him?"

What effect this had on Kirai, the boy could not tell. Ryu, however, seemed slightly braver. "The old laws are stupid!" the older child declared. "And it _doesn't_ change who he is! It doesn't matter whether you care or not, Dad, I _do_!"

Kirai looked down at the two children grimly. "Well, Mika, all of us have had our say in what your fate should be except you, and yours is probably the most important opinion. What would you have us do? Is Prince Ryu's suggestion something you might want?"

The boy blinked. _Mika...? _"I- I'm sorry, Sir," he stuttered, "bu-but do you mean me?"

Kirai blinked in confusion. "Of course I mean you. Who else in this room is named Mika?"

"My name is Mika?"

The benevolent indifference cracked. "He... didn't even tell you what your name was?" The boy shook his head, feeling unreal and unnatural. The King uttered an astonished and horrified oath in Draconic and Kirai's facade fell apart. The Crown Prince dropped to his knees, holding his arms out. "Yes, child, your name is Mika," he said gently. "And I promise you that I, personally, will make sure that you never, ever forget it. It's over, Mika. You're safe now."

Ryu gave a small cheer. The boy looked from one person in the room to the next: the King, smiling sadly with unshed tears in his eyes; Ryu, grinning jubilantly from ear to ear; and Kirai, just looking at him patiently with outstretched arms. All of the pain from the beatings, the silence and rejection bubbled forth, and the child threw himself into Kirai's arms, sobbing.

As he cried, his saviors heard him through his tears: "Mika. My name is Mika."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **This is a work of fan appreciation, and no more. I get no material compensation for this work, and I make no claim to the Breath of Fire world or concept. Both are the property of Capcom.

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Breath of Fire: Decline 

Chapter 1

Mika cursed, loudly, while his cousin roared with laughter. The young man looked up from the mess irritably. "You know, Ryu, you've been completely useless since we began this fool's errand. You _could_ do more than make wisecracks."

His blue-haired companion's peals of laughter stopped almost immediately. "I'm sorry, Mika," he said kindly as the other youth kneeled to try to gather the rogue oranges- again. "Do you need a hand?"

"It would be helpful." Mika then snorted in derision as Ryu began clapping heartily. "Smartass," Mika said in a stage whisper, managing to pack the runaway fruit back in the crate and stand again.

Ryu smirked at him, nursing his own crate. "At least part of me is intelligent," he said airily. Mika glared, started walking again. Ryu jogged briefly to keep up, then fell in step with the other youth. "Seriously, Mika, I offered to take the broken crate. You insisted because you're stronger than I am and would be able to hold it better."

"I know," Mika said in a sulky voice, "but a mile seems like twenty when you've got fifteen pounds of oranges in your arms."

"I agree with that," Ryu replied wistfully. "'Character building' my ass. This is just punishment for being good civil servants."

If Ryu saw the slight smile this comment got from his cynical cousin, he didn't show it. Ryu hadn't had a choice in being a "civil servant". He was bound by Draconic law to become a Knight of the realm, and he was very close to his knighting. Mika, on the other hand, had been given a choice. In fact, Prince Aldin had gone out of his way to discourage the boy from choosing knighthood as his path. His arguments ranged from having too hot a temper to reliably perform his duties as a knight, to the fact that the orphanage needed good men like Mika to help the orphanage out. This resulted in a "debate" between the two that ended when Mika spat that if he was a good man, it was no thanks to Aldin.

Aldin then changed tacts, incensed by this illegitimate speaking to someone of high status such as himself, pointing out to the King, Kirai, and Ryu on three separate occasions that Mika was a bastard child whom, according to the letter of the law, was to hold no higher station than that of a slave. Ryu promptly went to the Commander in Chief, got Mika's application to the forces, and had his father and grandfather stamp it through.

Mika later observed that the arguments with Aldin were well worth it to see the look on the man's face when Mika was given his practice sword. Ryu returned with the observation that Mika was obviously much more mature than Aldin already, because ten years later, the rogue Prince was still trying to punish Mika for the humiliation of getting caught abusing his servants.

The two arrived at their destination; their task master grinned as the youths dropped their crates on the ground, groaning in exhaustion. Ryu sank onto the stoop stairs while Mika put his hands on his hips, trying to ignore the searing pain in his arms. The taskmaster poked the Prince with the butt end of his whip. "You know well as I do that yer father ain't got no worries with me treatin' you like any other fledglin' Knight," the taskmaster said. "An' it's a sight pathetic that yon squire can hold up better 'n his master can."

Ryu pushed the whip away from him. "Mika's only a few years younger than I, first off, and second he's been strength-training for longer than I have."

"Younger 'n you and training longer 'n you? Shameful!" the taskmaster wailed. "Just shameful! I can't even whip ya for that one! It's just pitiful! Shameful and pitiful! Hey now, what you think you doin', boy?"

Mika scowled hard, reflexively, as he sat down next to Ryu. "I'm sitting down so that you've got two people to poke at instead of bullying one," he replied in a snippish tone.

The taskmaster miffed. "Now see here, son, I ain't bullyin' noone! Secondly, you ain't to speak in that tone to me-"

Ryu stood abruptly, squaring his shoulders. "We need to speak in private, Taskmaster," he said respectfully, but his voice was commanding. Recognizing an order from his Prince when he saw one, the taskmaster aquisied immediately, following Ryu around the corner. The two spoke in quiet tones. Mika knew what his cousin was saying. _Look, I know it's not meant disrespectfully, but Mika is a special case. Please don't call him 'boy'. It _hurts_ him, and it hurts him on a level I don't think either of us could understand..._

"I wish you'd knock that off," Mika commented under his breath as Ryu rejoined him on the stoop.

"Wish he'd knock what off?" The taskmaster said. "That's the problem with you youths today- you think everythin's your business. Well, I'll tell you, Mika, we talked in private, so you can be sure it ain't yon business, right? Let's just move on along our collective business now."

It might not have been his business, but Mika noted that his proper name was used in a place where "boy" would have been more natural for the taskmaster.

The taskmaster waited a few more moments before speaking again. This time, his voice was quiet and somber. "I ain't happy about this, boys," he said hesitantly. Seeing that Mika took no offense- he had addressed them both in affection instead of Mika himself in derision- he continued. "Prince, I received word from yer father- it seems that them damn Urkans have some kind of new weapon up their sleeves. Our people trying to help the Wyndians hold their city dare not fight 'gainst 'em new soldiers. They's too strong; fighting would cause too much destruction." A pained expression crossed the elderly man's face. "Right now, the Dragons are lettin' themselves be killed. It's lookin' like the Wyndian's is gonna fall."

Ryu's face went grim. "I've been recalled to Dragnier, then," he said gravely. "It's time, isn't it?"

"Aye, lad, it's time." The taskmaster's gaze slid to Mika. "I tried ta tell'em that you should remain here to continue yer trainin'. His Majesty wouldn't hear of it. 'Less Prince Ryu frees you from squireship, 'n that'll ruin your chances at knighthood anyway."

Mika shook his head. "I'm not going to let him go home alone," he replied, just as grave- and wondering if either of his companions felt the tight desperation in their chests that he did. "I am his squire. Who else is going to take care of him?"

"T'ain't as though you'll have to cross the plains," the taskmaster replied.

Ryu caught onto the implication first. "We're using the teleporters?" he asked incredulously. "Why? Young and training knights never use the teleporters!"

"You're not just a young knight, Prince Ryu," the taskmaster said heavily. "You're the Destined Child. And yer father and grandfather needs you in Dragnier _now_."

The three were silent for quite some time. Finally, the taskmaster turned away. "Get yer belongings 'n meet me in the teleportation bay. I'll be sendin' ye two off soon's yer there."

Mika and Ryu looked at each other as the taskmaster walked away. "So that's that," Mika mused. "They're finally letting you start on your journey."

Ryu averted his gaze. "Yeah." He stood, moving a little sluggishly. "I was worried they actually weren't going to let me do this."

"Let you? Like they have a choice. It's your destiny, right? Destined child, destiny...?"

"Y-yeah. Come on, Mika, we've got to get packing."

Without looking at his cousin, Ryu started walking away. Mika gaped at his back for a moment, then sprang to his feet and sprinted the small distance the Prince managed to put between them. "Wait just a minute. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"I see through you," Mika replied, bringing his hand up to his face and pointing it at Ryu. He wiggled the pointed finger as he spoke. "Nobody knows you better than I do and you're not happy with something. Spill it, man."

Ryu gave the youth a wry smile. "Can't get the obvious past you, can I?"

"Hey!"

The Prince laughed at Mika's reaction, then sighed. "It's just... this is going to be dangerous. I've heard that the last Destined Child almost died a number of times on his Cycle. In fact, his companions _did_ die; if he hadn't mastered Infinity, he almost certainly would have failed. It was only because he did master Infinity that his companions were able to come back to help him fight."

Mika frowned. "They didn't die, Ryu. They were sealed in crystal and then it was shattered by Evan. Infinity didn't bring them back to life, it just undid the spell Evan used to seal them to begin with. Besides, you're just like the other Destined. You're going to have companions- including me."

Ryu stopped short, returning Mika's frown. "Aren't you listening?" He snapped. "The physics of what happened to those Destined doesn't matter! If the last Child hadn't mastered Infinity, they were as good as dead!" He immediately regretted his harsh tone, as his cousin's face darkened with hurt and concern. Rather than apologize, however, Ryu merely resumed walking. "I don't know who my companions will be. None of the Destined do."

"Well, I'm going to be."

"Absolutely not."

"You're kidding."

Ryu gasped in exasperation. "I'm not! Once again, Mika, did you listen? I'm mortal. I'm fallable. There may come a point where I can't protect you and I'm not willing to risk that."

"I can protect myself!" Mika protested.

The Prince smiled sadly. "I know you can. I'm still not willing to risk _your_ life. Besides, you're n- you're not one of the Destined."

"You don't know that."

Ryu didn't respond. Mika brooded.

They arrived at the apartment complex the two were boarding at. As they ascended the stairs to their rooms, Mika suddenly brightened. "I know. We can ask Mirielle when we get to Dragnier. She'd definitely know!" Mika poked Ryu as the Prince swiped the key card. The door gave a soft _click_ to indicate that it had unlocked. "Then, if she says that I am a Destined, you can rest easy that I'm supposed to be with you."

"No." Ryu pushed the door open and walked inside. Mika stood where he was in the hallway, thinking. Ryu was behaving _extremely_ odd. This was certainly not the man Mika was accustomed to. Realizing that ruminating in the hallway over it wasn't going to get Ryu to get his head out of his ass, Mika entered the apartment and closed the door softly behind him.

Neither spoke a word until they had packed what belongings they needed to take back to Dragnier- Mika assumed that he'd be returning to Caer Xhan at some point to retrieve the rest of their things- and they headed towards the city gates.

The teleportation bay was actually a short distance from the city. It had been placed between the metropolis and the tiny village on the edge of the Wild Plains in order to serve both establishments. The villagers in Oasis vastly preferred a quiet, rural environment, and already complained bitterly about the noise and light pollution from the city.

Mentioning the building of the Sky Station over Caer Xhan still caused Prince Ryu to grimace and put a hand to his temple. Both boys would have sworn that the people of Oasis thought that the structure would both fall out of the sky onto them _and_ cause them to randomly start giving birth to kittens. Thankfully, as the Sky Station proved to be both stable and a place for the noisiest of the research- and researchers- to go, Oasis calmed down.

As the bay came into sight Mika finally spoke. "Ryu." The Prince turned, still silent. Finding the words he needed, Mika spoke carefully. "This isn't just a random mission from the King," he said quietly, sincerely. "This is the fate of the world and, from the looks of it, the entire Draconic race. She doesn't mean to merely control the world this time, Ryu," he commented, losing his calm. "Myria's trying to kill us _all_ this time! I can't stand by and watch that happen and I can't stand by and watch you walk right into her arms so she can have an easier time putting a knife in your back. I can't do that."

Ryu smiled sadly at his cousin. "Thank you, Mika," he said. "It really means a lot to me. But, like I said in Caer Xhan- I feel the same way about you." He hesitated, then turned away again. "This really is _my_ problem to deal with. I can't let someone I care about so much get involved."

"If I'm a Destined, you have no choice," Mika said firmly, grimly.

"If you're a Destined," Ryu acquiesced. The Prince started walking again. "If you are then it doesn't matter if I leave you in Dragnier or not, you'll end up with me. So let's just see who is right, okay?"

"All right," Mika grumbled, appeased- for the moment, at least.

As promised, the taskmaster was at the bay. Their goodbyes were stiff and awkward. Of course, Mika knew why- the taskmaster had gotten attached to them. He did all of his students, according to Kirai. The Crown Prince had also cautioned them both that they were "charming young men who are immensely easy to get attached to. Don't go breaking that old man's heart!"

Judging by the sniffles Mika could hear as the taskmaster punched in the coordinates he wanted to send them to, Mika guessed that they actually had. The taskmaster's grumbling about allergies and the Plains blooming didn't convince him at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Mirielle's first duty was to Ladon. She knew this was going to be the case when she took the oaths to become a Priestess of the god. Ladon's will was to supersede all else, including the welfare of her children. She had so far been able to reconcile this fact with her duties as a mother by reassuring herself that Ladon would want- would even command- that her children's wellbeing was attended to.

Yet now, as she stared at the wall of her simple meditation chamber, she struggled to understand- or even accept- her Lord's revelation and command. Everything he was commanding of her now went against every maternal instinct she had. How how how _how_ was she to keep this a secret? Why did he _bother_ to grant her this vision if she couldn't tell anyone?

Ladon was not a cruel god. He didn't give his followers handouts, however. He wanted her to take action. Telling someone who could stop this madness wasn't an action he wanted taken, for whatever reason. _What __**is**__ an action I can take_?

The woman started as the front door to the home banged open. "Mom! Hey Mom, where are you?!" Mirielle smiled despite her turmoil at the sound of her older son's voice. She started to answer as she rose, and then stopped as Teepo cried out again. "Hey _Mom_, hurry up! Mika's home!"

"Mika's home?" she repeated to herself, stunned. A sudden idea struck the Priestess. It would require some manipulation of the youth, but… Saying a quick prayer for forgiveness from both her god and her step-son, she scrambled to her feet and dashed into the main area of the house.

Teepo had his head poked out the door, practically bouncing in excitement. "C'mon, slowpoke!" he shouted cheerfully. "Mom wants to see you, hurry hurry!"

"When you're carrying sixty pounds, you can call me a slowpoke," she heard her stepson retort good-naturedly. She smoothed her hands on her robe, took a deep breath, and put on her show the moment Mika walked in the door, her younger son in his arms. He noticed her anxiety immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Teepo, go play with your little brother," Mirielle said tensely.

Mika put the child he was carrying down, not taking his worried expression off Mirielle. The boy appeared as if he was about to cry, but Teepo held out his hand, clearly appearing disturbed himself. "C'mon, Ryu. Mika 'n Mom have something adult to talk about." With a watery nod, Ryu toddled away, his hand in Teepo's.

As soon as the boys were in the other room, Mirielle slumped over. "Thank the gods you decided to come back now," she said in a low, urgent voice.

"I had no choice. Ryu's journey started," Mika replied quietly. "What's going on?"

She looked around, as though fearing the very shadows, and lowered her voice further. "I think I've discovered why Ryu isn't developing as a normal child should," she said. "It's Aldin- he's-"

"He's _not_," Mika cut her off in a dark anger that frightened Mirielle. _Perhaps this __**wasn't**__ a good plan-_ "Don't finish that sentence unless you want your husband to die," Mika growled, quickly working himself up into a rage.

"I don't think he's actually hurt him yet," Mirielle said quickly. "But I did hear Aldin yelling at him. I intervened as quickly as I could. But he's_threatening_ him."

Her stepson somehow managed to control the burning rage her accusation sparked in him. "Did he do this to Teepo?" he asked, his calm forced.

"No, I don't think so. But Ryu's a very sensitive child, like you were." Mirielle paused, trying to work out how best to word her story to get Mika's cooperation. "He couldn't bully Teepo. He's too strong-willed. But he _can_ bully Ryu. And if he starts hitting Ryu-"

"He'll get arrogant enough to do it to Teepo," Mika finished grimly. "Do you want me to go get the pastor of your church while you watch them, get this settled?"

_He's thinking__**rationally**__ about this? Damnit…_ "They won't do anything," Mirielle replied, thinking as fast as she can. "They are the Prince's _children_. They won't do anything to jeopardize their good graces with the court."

"The King knows what he did to me," Mika replied as evenly as he could.

"And the King still allowed him access to you," she pointed out. "He restricted it, but he still let Aldin see you. Aldin acknowledges your brothers, Mika!"

"Mirielle!" Mika exclaimed, chagrined. "You can't say-"

"I don't care about that stupid law and neither should you," Mirielle cut him off hotly. "It's absurd that we can't speak the plain truth because that man doesn't want it spoken." She got control of her temper- this was having the opposite effect of what she wanted, and said, "Mika, they are _legally_ his sons. There's little anyone will be able to do to keep him from them. Even me."

"What do you want me to do?" Mika asked flatly, his voice betraying nothing of what he felt.

_He's stonewalling me… damnit, Mika, don't do this…_ "I need you to take the children and get as far away from Dragnier as you can," she said evenly. "I'll arrange for church of Ladon to aid you in getting them away from here."

"I thought the church wouldn't risk pissing off the court."

"It is much easier to hide involvement when the church isn't directly involved in their removal," Mirielle replied, choosing her words carefully. What she was asking him to do was kidnapping. She _had_ to paint it as though he weren't doing anything wrong, because he wasn't; Draconic law merely disagreed with it. If she didn't get these kids away from Dragnier… "Please, Mika," she pleaded, finally. "They're better off with you. You've been far more of a father to them than Aldin has. I simply cannot protect them from here!"

Mika was thinking hard about this, she could tell. His dark eyes seemed to reflect some inner turmoil; Mirielle held her breath. He was a knight in training. He was supposed to _uphold_ the law, not break it. On the other hand, he absolutely adored those boys. From what she had been told after she married Aldin, if the Prince Ryu hadn't seen what was happening and gotten the Crown Prince, his father, Aldin may have murdered the boy the night he was taken from him. The last thing Mika wanted for his little brothers is to go through the same thing he did.

Finally, Mika seemed to make a decision. "Teepo! Ryu!" he called out. "Come in here for a second!" There was a shuffle in the den of the home and both boys pounded into the kitchen, quite cheerful. Mika knelt down to talk to them. "I want to ask you a question," Mika said lightly, obviously trying not to allow the kids to know what was about to happen. "Are you guys being bullied by your Dad?"

Little Ryu's sheepish smile abruptly disappeared. The child ducked half-way behind his older brother and looked around Teepo's shoulder in childish worry. "He is?" Mika asked, serious but as gently as he could.

It was Teepo who answered him. "He certainly is bullying Ryu!" Teepo spat. "He was yelling at him real loud not even yesterday because Ryu doesn't like to talk! I told Dad, 'Go pick on someone your own size!' and he spanked me."

Ordinarily, Mika and Mirielle's reaction would have both been "Good." However, both of them were aware of what "spanking" meant to Aldin, and Mika looked up at Mirielle grimly. She returned his grave expression, and Mika turned back to the children. "How often does Dad spank you?"

Teepo scoffed. "Almost never. He knows he can't pick on me like he can pick on Ryu. I'm too tough for him. It doesn't matter how hard he spanks me, I won't cry. And he knows I laugh at him behind his back because he's such a loser." With this, Teepo's eyes fixed on Mika's, reflecting what Mika thought was _sympathy_.

It shook the young squire to his core. "We're going to go on a trip," he told them as he regained his composure. "I want you both to go put together your back bags, with things you _need_," he said severely, "leave all but _one_ of your toys here. You'll get brand new when we get there."

"Where are we going?" Teepo asked, his eyes wide.

"Dauna," Mika replied immediately, already plotting their route in his head. He looked up at Mirielle; this was too cryptic for them to understand. "Is that far enough?"

Mirielle nodded. "He'd have to go through Urkan Tapa and Wyndia and try to extradite you from across the world. He won't even bother."

"What's 'extradite' mean?" Teepo asked.

"Go get ready," Mika replied, standing. "Be quick. We need to go as fast as we can. And I meant it! Things you need, not toys!"

Teepo pouted at the fact that his question had been ignored, and stomped off down the hall. Ryu looked from his mother to Mika and back, stuffed his small hands in his pockets, and followed Teepo silently. Once they had both disappeared into the room they shared, Mika turned to Mirielle. "Did you tell him about that?" Mika demanded.

Mirielle shook her head, her pretty face completely pale. "I didn't tell him anything at all," she murmured. "Why would Aldin-"

"Do you think he told them I'm their brother?" Mika asked.

The priestess shook her head. "No. If he did that, Teepo would be getting you involved a_lot_ more in his issues with Aldin. Teepo already knows you love the two of them like they were your brothers; if he knew you were, he'd be asking your intercession all the time. Besides, if he did that, he'd have to face the consequences for what he did to you."

The bitterness and compassion in Mirielle's voice warmed over the mild anger this episode instilled in Mika. She was their _mother_- she should have known he was starting to do this! But he couldn't blame her, not entirely; his uncle and grandfather hadn't even been aware that Aldin _never_ told Mika what his name was. That was a pretty big thing, and they were completely unaware. Those two weren't clueless men, either.

"So why're we going to Dauna?" Teepo exclaimed, his bad mood gone as he bounded back down the hallway. "Are we going on vacation?" The child animatedly turned to his little brother and winked, in an exaggerated way; Ryu, who still wore a long, sullen face, smiled slightly in reply, his back bag strapped to his shoulders and his hands still in his pockets.

Mika sighed heavily, clearly seeing what Teepo was attempting to do. "No, Teepo. We're not going on vacation," he replied sadly. "We're moving away."

Teepo's smile faltered. "Oh. Well, Dad knows, right?"

"No, honey," Mirielle answered this time. "He doesn't know."

At this, Ryu whimpered; Teepo whirled on him, irritated. "Stop it, you big crybaby! You know Mom and Mika wouldn't do anything that would hurt us!" He turned back to the young man and the Priestess, obviously not as confident as he made himself out to be. "Right?" he asked in a small voice, speaking low to try to hide his fear.

Mika knelt down again, and searched for his words for a few moments. When he had an idea of what to say, he said it. "You know how your father treated me when I was your age," he said evenly.

"No, I don't," Teepo replied with the awkwardness of someone who had told a secret they shouldn't have.

"You do too. Your Dad told you to frighten you into behaving, didn't he?"

Teepo stubbornly shook his head, sticking to his lie. Ryu, however, had a different reaction; the younger child wrapped his arms around Mika's arm, hugging him with an air of compassion unusual for a child so young. "I think your little brother just ratted you out," Mika said with a little smile, patting Ryu on the head.

The violet-haired child scuffed a foot against the floor, his face downcast in shame. "I'm in trouble now," he said, his voice quivering. Dad said that I better not tell anyone-"

"Nope!" Ryu squeaked, turning his hug to Teepo now. Teepo started to shove the younger child away, angry with himself, but Ryu said, "Goin' away! Daddy can't be mean if Daddy can't find!"

"Ryu's right," Mirielle said soothingly. "Mika's going to take you away to make sure Daddy can't be mean to you. Teepo, honey..." Mirielle knelt as well, and gathered her boys up in her arms. "If anyone says they're going to hurt you, tell Mika, okay? He'll take good care of you."

"Okay, Mom," Teepo said, his trepidation now sounding excited, and relieved. He shook his head, then added, "I was really afraid, Mom. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry."

"It's okay now," Mika told him. "We know, and I'll make sure he can't do what he says he will, okay?" Teepo nodded, sighing in relief, and the two adults stood. "I'll have to swing by the house I'm staying," he said quietly. "I didn't unpack when I got here from Caer Xhan; I wanted to see the boys first. I'll have to give my landlord some kind of payment-"

"I'll take care of it," Mirielle said quickly. "Tell him to come talk to me, and I'll settle it."

"Will Aldin let you do that?"

"Does he have a say in it?" Mirielle countered with a grim smile. "Go now, Mika, hurry. You need to get them away from here as soon as possible."

"All right," Mika said. He hugged her warmly, kissed her on the cheek, and backed away for the kids to say their goodbyes. As soon as Teepo was done demanding that Mirielle follow them as soon as she could, Mika scooped Ryu up in his arms again, and the three headed out.

"Ladon, protect my children," Mirielle whispered as she watched them walk quickly away. She hadn't included Mika separately in such prayers in years. Ladon knew that to her, she was as much her son as her own boys were.

* * *

Aldin had to fight to get away from the palace today. This was _not_ the way it was supposed to happen. It wasn't time yet. He knew they weren't prepared. And yet, his efforts to prevent his nephew's departure were in vain. Prince Ryu, the Destined Child, set out to defeat Myria's forces and save the Dragons once again, as many other Ryu Batesons had done in the past.

This meant that _their_ plans had to be accelerated. And as soon as Aldin realized he couldn't delay Prince Ryu's leaving, he tried as hard as he could to get away, but the damned bureaucracy held him there. The King had no regard for Aldin's opinion; he kept him in his advisors to keep an eye on him.

Although Aldin supposed he did that to himself. It had taken Teepo's birth and ensuing crisis to get him to realize raging wouldn't get him what he wanted. Manipulation would. He had a lot more freedom now than he had when he was discovered to be beating that servant child, but it still wasn't enough.

So the story formed in Aldin's head as he walked home as quickly as he could. There was a doctor in Wyndia who specialized in shy children. A colleague of this doctor's had been at the castle that day; after describing his youngest son's behavior, the man was positive his partner could help little Ryu. So he was going to take him to Wyndia to see if this doctor could bring his son out of that subdued shell.

Mirielle would be ecstatic. She had been desperate for a doctor who could get to the root of the little boy's stunted emotions. The story was _perfect_.

Aldin arrived at the house, entering it without hesitation for once. "Well hello, my love," Aldin said with a charming smile as he laid eyes on Mirielle, who was standing at the counter.

The charm in that smile was strained, "my love," spoken with an air of sarcasm he thought no one could detect. She was beautiful, yes; the second most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. Mirielle was an example of the reason the Dragons had a reputation of being beautiful people. But to him, she was the mother of his children. That was all. He married her because he was told he had to marry, and if he had to marry, he might as well marry someone he could _use_.

Usually Mirielle kept up the façade. Today, however, she didn't. She didn't turn to face him, an equally tenuous smile on her own face. She, in fact, barely stopped doing the dishes. "Hello," she said quietly as she rinsed a dish and set it aside. "How was your day? I heard Prince Ryu has started his Destined Cycle."

"Yes." Aldin narrowed his eyes at her, staring hard at her back. "I thought you had off today."

"I did," Mirielle said with a bit of a sigh. "Mika dropped by to see the kids."

"Why do you let him see them?" Aldin growled. "He's a Dark Dragon-"

"He has the right to see them," Mirielle cut Aldin off crisply. "So I guess your foul mood is indicative of a fairly bad day, hm?"

"You know the deal. Bureaucracy and all kinds of other rakda dung." He shook of his confusion at Mirielle's behavior and smiled. He quickly went over his story once more and said, "But there was one bright spot. There was a doctor from Wyndia at court today. His partner specializes in child development; he believes there might be something his partner can do for Ryu."

Mirielle stiffened, pausing in her dishwashing for a barely detectable moment. "Then perhaps Mika will hear about him and take a detour to have the good doctor see him when they get to Wyndia," Mirielle said finally, in a low voice.

Aldin pounced on the woman, grabbing her and turning her forcefully around to face him.

He pinned her to the counter, his body pressed against hers and his face mere inches away from hers. "What have you done with my children?" he yelled at her, his fury at yet another plan being ruined apparent.

"I've sent them somewhere that they're not in danger from your treachery!" Mirielle spat back. As the color drained form Aldin's face in rage and fear, Mirielle smiled a mirthless, vindictive smile. "That's right, Aldin! I know what you're doing and you will _not_ get away with it!"

The Prince roared in his rage and snatched a knife from the counter waiting to be washed. As he brandished it threateningly, Mirielle laughed. "Go ahead, kill me! You know if you so much as harm a hair on my head, you're_never_ getting out of jail and your title won't save you!"

Aldin knew, through his rage, what she was really saying: _hurt me and your plans fail, period._ If he could catch them, he may still be able to salvage the operation… As much as he wanted to slash her throat, he threw the knife away from him, threw the Priestess to the floor, and dashed back out of the house. The door banged open and stayed that way as he ran back to the castle, probably to report that Mika had kidnapped his children.

Mirielle stayed on the floor, shaking in fear. It wasn't Aldin's threat to kill her that scared her. It was the idea that he would be able to _catch_ them. It was imperative that they escape him. If not for their own sakes…

She repeated her prayer to Ladon for the safety of her children, moree sincere than she ever had been before. If Aldin caught them, there was no telling the damage he could do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan appreciation. The Breath of Fire world and concept belong to Capcom, not me.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews and con. crit.! I've taken suggestions and comments into consideration when writing this; I'm very much an amateur writer, so I'm not sure how well I did. But I do know that having two characters named Ryu works a lot better in concept than in words. I'm trying to think of a decent way to keep them distinguished from each other; I'm referring to the child as "little Ryu" for now. It will get repetitive, but I'm trying to come up with a better solution. Suggestions are appreciated.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_You have failed me, beloved._

"I know, my Lady. I'm working to correct this problem."

_Why shouldn't I take care of it myself, Aldin?_

"Give me one more chance, _please_. I don't want Teepo and Mika hurt."

_Oh, stop it. You hate that youth with every fiber of your being. False piety does not impress me._

"…"

_One more chance, Aldin. It is imperative that child be brought to me. Fail again, and I will do things my way, whatever sacrifices that means. Understood?_

"Yes, my Lady."

* * *

Mika hated bringing his little brothers into that seedy, dingy inn in Wyndia, but he had little choice. Money wasn't an issue. Mirielle had the first Temple of Ladon they arrived at for supplies give them quite a sum of Zenny as well. However, he needed to keep a low profile. Apparently it was common knowledge that Little Ryu was slow, and it was also common knowledge that a Dark Dragon had kidnapped Prince Aldin's children by now. A Dark Dragon with two Light Dragon children, one of whom was "stupid", would immediately get the attention of just about everyone who was aware and cared.

As Mika found an empty table close to the back of the common room and directed his charges to it, a Woren waitress sidled up to him. "What can I get you, handsome?" she asked with a wink.

Mika paid her little heed, quickly discovering that getting Teepo to settle in _one_ seat was going to be a challenge. "House stew, a small plate of meats for the older one and a sliced apple for the little one," he answered above Teepo's obnoxiousness.

"Uh-huh. We don't usually do kid-sized meals, but we don't usually get kids; I'll see what I can do. Anything to drink?"

"Later," Mika muttered. "Hopefully food will occupy him long enough to _sit down, Teepo_," he growled. As the waitress giggled and bounded away, Mika glared at Ryu. The child had seated himself without trouble, but he seemed to find his older brother's antics amusing, and made this fact obvious. It was encouraging Teepo to continue hopping from seat to seat.

Mika's solution was finally to snatch the child as he pretended to settle into one of the two remaining chairs, hold him as Mika seated himself in that chair, and set the boy on his feet. "There. Now there's only one chair left. _Sit down_," he grated at him.

Teepo flushed, laughed merrily, and crawled into the remaining chair. However, once he caught a glimpse of Mika's somber expression, he simmered down. That was more than just being annoyed with him. Something was wrong.

In the course of fighting with Teepo to get him to behave, he noticed another traveler, sitting in the most shadowy corner of the inn. The traveler wore a dark hood that, between that and the shadows, obscured his face enough that Mika couldn't be sure, but it seemed that he was watching them. He said a prayer to Ladon that the man was only disturbed by Teepo's antics, and wasn't a bounty hunter who had already recognized him.

Teepo decided to try to lighten the mood by speaking rather loudly to him: "I bet you didn't realize I was going to take your seat all those times! I had you fooled, Mika, I did! See how much fun you can have if you'd just stop being a sourpus? I-"

"Teepo, hush," Mika said tensely. A glance at his little brother told him that his demeanor was frightening him; he saw that little Ryu was also regarding him with worry and fear on his little face. "You're disturbing the other guests," Mika said quietly, trying to lighten his tone. "When we get to our room to sleep, we'll play whatever fun game you want, okay?"

"Oooookaaaaaaaay," Teepo responded, feigning sullenness.

The waitress returned with the food Mika had ordered, and placed each plate in front of them carefully. Mika actually got a good look at her now; he had never really noticed girls before, but _this_ girl was something else. Her blond hair was about shoulder-length, with streaks of reddish-brown running through it. Her eyes were a bright green, reflecting merriment and cheerfulness.

His next observation alarmed him in a way that he'd never been alarmed, and he abruptly tore his mind away from how _attractive_ she was and paid _full_ attention to her question. "Water for me, please," he answered, trying to ignore how his voice cracked. He cleared his throat, and said, "Fruit juice for the older one, and- Ryu, if I get you some meat, are you going to eat it?"

The little boy looked up from his plate of apples, considered Mika's question, and firmly shook his head. As Ryu munched happily on a slice of apple, Mika told the waitress, "Milk for him, then."

"You got it, handsome. Be right back!"

As she swaggered away, tail swishing behind her, Mika focused very intently on the slop that this place was trying to pass off as stew. "Hey Mika!" Teepo exclaimed through a mouth full of meat, "why's your face all red?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Mika replied sternly, positive his blush had deepened with his little brother's observation.

Just as the foul taste of the stew allowed him mastery of his hormones again, that same waitress returned, plunking their drinks down. Teepo immediately snatched his glass of juice up and started gulping it down. "Teepo! That's rude!" Mika snapped, trying hard to focus on the kids instead of this waitress. He observed then Ryu gently and quietly pushing his milk away from him; "You have to drink that," Mika told him, running out of sternness. "An apple isn't enough, Ryu."

The waitress giggled, and said, "They're adorable, handsome. Are they yours, or do you just know that kids make it easier to pick up chicks?"

Mika cursed the woman in his mind and tried hard to ignore the fact that she was hitting on him. "They're not mine," he muttered in return, "and I thought it was _babies_ that women fell all over."

The Woren girl flicked her tail again, laughing quietly. "Will you be getting a room tonight, or are you just here to sample the legendary cuisine?"

"Legendarily bad," Mika retorted, picking his spoon out of the sludge and watching it ooze off the utensil.

"Exactly. So?"

The swordsman sighed heavily. "Yes, we'll be staying here for the night, but we're moving on first thing in the morning."

"I see. Got somewhere important to be, huh?" Before Mika could tell her to mind her own business, she leaned down close to him and said, very softly, "I stay here too, you know. Exchange services for rent. My room's pretty easy to find. How 'bout you stop by after you put the little ones to bed, hm?"

Mika looked up sharply, astounded by this woman's directness. "I don't think so," he said firmly. "First of all, Teepo is only-"

His beratement of the Woren was cut short by the door of the inn bursting open. Those patrons closest to the door were startled, many of them screaming; Mika's stomach twisted painfully as he recognized the regalia of the Draconic military. The captain of troop, about ten men in all, looked around the inn's common room, his gaze finally settling on Mika and the kids. "Dark Dragon Mika," the captain said loudly, "You are under arrest in the name of the King of Dragnier for kidnapping."

"_Kidnapping?_" The waitress repeated, astounded. Mika rose as she said, mostly to herself, "They don't seem like they don't want to be with him."

"He's brainwashed them, miss," the captain said harshly, advancing even as Mika stood, setting himself to grab the kids and run, or fight. He knew he wasn't getting out of this, but he would die before he allowed Aldin to hurt those two the way he had hurt him.

Mika didn't respond to the accusation that he had brainwashed the children, either. He just glared at the captain, tense. "I wouldn't try fighting," the captain said slowly, "unless you want to prove to the lot of these rookies the stereotype that Dark Dragons are selfish savages."

"I really don't care what stereotypes they believe," Mika said in a low voice.

"Mika's not selfish, either!" Teepo burst, climbing onto the table.

"Teepo, get down," the young swordsman commanded in a terse voice.

The child paid him no mind. "You guys are selfish people!" Teepo accused, pointing at them. "We don't _want_ to go home! Daddy's a jerk, and Mika's nice!"

The captain stared hard at this child, who seemed ready to jump down and start kicking shins, and said, "You have to understand, Teepo. There are rules-"

"Rules that say a man has the right to brutalize children?" Mika spat.

"Squire Mika, I understand your anger and concern. However, you should know as well as anyone that there are ways of handling these things! Stealing these boys away isn't protecting them at all!"

"And what ways would those be?" Mika argued hotly. "The ways you used to 'protect' me?"

"That's different. These kids are-"

"Aren't bastard Dark Dragons," Mika cut him off bitterly. "Yes, I know how it works." His eyes narrowed at the troop, and he growled, "You will _not_ take them back to that monster for him to use as punching bags. _No_."

The captain sighed. "Restrain them," he said heavily, "but make sure none of them are hurt."

As four of the soldiers advanced, Mika tensed once more and the waitress darted away. In the moment that the Dark Dragon was about to draw his sword, though, Teepo emitted an ear-piercing, blood-curdling shriek. It took only a few seconds for Ryu's small voice to join Teepo's, the children both screaming as if they were about to be murdered.

The soldiers hesitated, even as the crowd who had thus far simply watched the drama in mesmerized shock moved. Some tried to just leave, to get away from the head-splitting howls of the two children. Others discussed excitedly what would happen next. One of the soldiers who had advanced to apprehend Mika lunged forward. Mika pulled back sharply, realizing too late that he _did_ need his sword.

As the soldier managed to get a firm grip on Mika's wrist, Teepo's howls rose in pitch and volume, and the child threw himself at the offending soldier. As his little fists pounded on the man's back, a voice boomed from the traveler in the shadowy corner, "That's enough!"

Instantly, the soldiers stopped any advancement in shock. The captain bowed low as the traveler stepped out of the shadows, his hood thrown back and arms crossed over his chest. "My Prince!" the Captain stuttered, his face flushing. "My apologies that this has disturbed you, Prince Ryu-"

"What's going on, Mika?" the Destined Child demanded, paying no attention to the Captain.

"Aldin's hurting them," Mika responded instantly.

"How do you know?"

"Mirielle told me."

"Good enough," Ryu said firmly. Then he looked back at the troop, his blue eyes flashing in anger. "You heard him," the Prince said. "The boys' mother asked him to take them. That is _not_ kidnapping."

"All due respect, your Highness," the Captain replied, "We are under direct orders from your uncle. If Prince Aldin says it was kidnapping, then we have to obey the law as it is written for kidnapping. If Lady Mirielle actually did tell him to take them away, then he will be absolved, but-"

"No 'buts'!" Ryu spat. "Go back to Dragnier, Captain!"

"Not without our targets," the Captain snapped back.

None of the soldiers, however, wanted to contradict a direct order from the Destined Child, let alone a member of the royal family they were sworn to obey. They looked at each other in bewilderment, even as the Captain ordered them to apprehend the three fugitives again. This stalemate was ended abruptly by an iron skillet coming down hard at the base of Mika's assailant's head. As the soldier crumpled to the floor and the rest of them gaped, Mika's waitress motioned wildly for them to follow her. "Come on!" she said hurriedly, "you can get out through the kitchen!"

Mika snatched up the child closest to him- little Ryu- and followed the waitress without hesitation. The Prince managed to grab Teepo and run as well; as they banged into the kitchen, much to the dismay of the cooks, Mika heard the captain howl, "Don't just stand there, you idiots! Get them!"

The waitress shoved the back door open, leading them out into an alleyway. "If we hurry, you'll get to the road before they have time to let them know to block it!"

"Why are you helping us?" Mika demanded as they ran.

The waitress, obviously not used to running, panted back, "I'm not going to let a bunch of sheep take two kids who obviously don't want to be taken. Besides; I have a perfect record. I'm not going to let a mark go without nailing him."

The woman managed a wink at Mika at this last. "You've got to be kidding," the squire muttered to himself, choosing to focus wholly on supporting the child in his arms.

The group ducked down back alleys, quickly descending the hill the city was built on. As they reached the gates, they paused; Mika let little Ryu to the ground, his arms sore from having run so far with him. "We can't stay still long," Ryu said, gasping. "It sounds like Aldin _really_ wants his kids back. I'm surprised by that."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Mika demanded between gulps of air.

The blue-haired Prince gave him an odd expression and answered, "What do you _think_ I'm doing? I have the same question for you, Mika. What's going on?"

"I told you," Mika gasped. "Mirielle caught Aldin screaming at Ryu, and we agreed that the next step is probably beating. She asked me to get them away from him."

"Uh, guys? I suggest we keep moving," the waitress said nervously. "Your soldiers were still chasing us, last I saw."

Ryu nodded, took a deep breath, and stood upright again. "Go back," he said to her. "I sincerely appreciate your help, but you don't want to be involved with this."

"If you're really the Prince of Dragnier," the woman replied, eyeing him critically, "you certainly are stupid. If you think those soldiers are going to let me get away with clocking one of them upside the head with a frying pan-"

"Too late," Mika cut her off tensely. "They're catching up to us!"

With a groan, Ryu snatched up his namesake and the three of them started running again.

As they reached Eygnock Road, the group paused once again. "Where are you going?" Ryu asked Mika.

"Dauna," the Dark Dragon answered breathlessly, simply.

"Right. I'm going in that direction anyway; I'll stay with you until you get there." He turned to the waitress and asked, "What do you want to do, lady? You're running out of time to turn around."

The Woren woman turned on him. "First of all, I'm not a 'lady'," she snapped angrily. "Second of all-"

Her yelling was interrupted by Teepo giving a distressed, frightened cry. Ryu turned to Mika, who had stifled his own distress, and then saw what frightened the two. Four giant, living gargoyle now stood in the path leading to the bridge to Rhaphala, all four armed and prepared for battle.

One of the creatures grunted. "There must be some mistake," it rumbled. "They're all children."

"We have our Lady's orders," another one observed, sounding agitated. "But I do wonder why the hell we're going after kids. Why couldn't the army do this?"

While the four gargoyles conversed amongst themselves, Mika demanded, "What _are_ those things?"

"The Guardians," the Woren replied in a terrified whisper. "It sounds like they're after _you_ guys. But why-"

"I am the Destined Child," Ryu replied quietly, perplexed.

"The Destined Child!" the woman responded in horror and awe.

"He told you that you didn't want to get involved," Mika said in subdued smugness. His smirk faded as he observed, "If those things are Urkan Tapa's weapons, then they're not going to be happy with just your head, Ryu."

"I know." The Prince set his burden down, as did Mika; the children scrambled to each other, shaking in silent terror as the two Dragons prepared themselves to fight. Much to their surprise, the Woren woman joined them, brandishing her claws threateningly. "You've got to be kidding!" Ryu exclaimed. "Girl, _go back_! These things will _kill_ you!"

"Do you think I want these jerks to _win_?" the waitress responded in astonishment. "They'll kill _you_ a lot easier than they will me!" She turned her focus back on the Guardians, setting herself in grim determination. "Besides, I can't go back. We're surrounded."

At this Mika and Ryu twisted in time to see the Draconic troop sent to retrieve Mika and the kids close in on them warily. Their immediate concern was no longer the apprehension of the young fugitives; the soldiers watched the Guardians warily. "Prince Ryu," the captain said quietly, a hint of desperation in his voice, "we are not going to get out of this alive without cooperating. We're not your enemies. You _need_ to get away. Help us help you!"

"They think all of them together will be able to defeat us!" one of the Guardians chortled.

"Gaw, hush," said the original speaker. It loomed over them, its stone-like face reflecting thoughtfulness. "Why would Lady Myria be threatened by a bunch of children?" he mused to himself.

"It doesn't matter!" hollered a powerful, feminine voice from behind the Draconic soldiers.

Ryu groaned in dismay as the whole group turned to the newcomers. A young woman in light battle armor led a troop of soldiers of her own; she brushed a stray lock of golden blond hair back under her helmet as her blue eyes flicked around the scene before her. Her voice and expression were absolutely unemotional as her gaze fixed on the Guardians and she said, "You are trespassing, Guardian Garr."

"You are interfering with Urkan business, Princess Nina," the leader rumbled in reply.

The Princess looked over the group again, and then said, "You're putting me in a very difficult position, Guardian. I see no Urkans in this group."

The one called Gaw edged forward. "This is pie, Garr," he sneered. "Let's just take them out and be done with it!"

"No," Garr responded. "The Woren is a civilian." The great gargoyle bowed low to the Princess, and then said, "Let's go."

The leader turned and walked away, followed hesitantly behind him. One of the unnamed Guardians, the only one who was silent the whole time, hesitated. Mika, Ryu and the Woren girl all tensed, preparing to defend themselves; the Dark Dragon wasn't sure if either of his companions saw it as well, but Mika thought that hesitating Guardian looked bewildered, as if he didn't understand something crucial.

The Guardian's hesitation lasted only a few moments before he too turned and trudged away. That being settled, Princess Nina immediately set upon the Captain of the Draconic troop. "And what can possibly cause the Draconic Army to chase after their very own Prince?" she demanded, finally advancing into their midst.

The Captain looked at the fugitives, the boys he was sent to retrieve now clinging to Mika's legs in terror. "We weren't chasing the Prince, per se," the Captain replied uneasily, "but rather, his companions. That Dark Dragon has been accused of kidnapping-"

Nina cut him off. "Kidnapping those children?"

"Yes, milady."

"They don't look like they've been kidnapped to me."

"They haven't been," Prince Ryu interjected. "The children's mother asked him to take them."

"So he says," the Captain argued.

"I believe him," the Prince retorted.

Nina sighed heavily, putting a hand to her temple. "They're in Wyndia, in any event, and it's not kidnapping if a primary parent gives permission for them to be with someone."

"My lady," the Captain said incredulously, "they are Prince Aldin's children!"

The Princess narrowed her eyes at this, her demeanor suddenly sour. "Then Prince Aldin can follow proper procedure to have him extradited back to Dragnier," she spat. "It's clear this man has the protection of Prince Ryu."

"But Princess Nina-"

Nina cut him off coldly. "Last I heard, Captain, Dragnier and Wyndia need each other. Stressing our relationship by barging into my country and attempting to arrest and extradite a man who, according to the Prince, has done nothing wrong, without following proper procedure, is not a good idea."

"I agree." The Captain's tone was icy and formal. "I'll make sure Prince Aldin forwards the extradition request in a timely fashion, Princess."

"Thank you."

The Captain glared at the fugitives, and then ordered his troop to withdraw. The group remaining watched them retreat until they were out of sight. At this, Nina turned her attention to the fugitives completely. "I'm sure there's an interesting explanation for this," she said dryly. "From my count, I need to know why a waitress assaulted a soldier with a frying pan, why a Dark Dragon has two royal Light Dragon children without their father's permission, and why I didn't know that you were in Wyndia, Prince Ryu. I'm sure I'll think of other questions by the time we all get to the palace."

To this, Ryu responded sourly, "Do I have to tell you my every move, Princess?"

"It would be nice." She smiled at him, and then said, "Let's go, kids. Don't worry, no one's in trouble yet."


	5. Chapter 5

He'd always loved Princess Nina's garden. The young woman cared for it with a dedication and love that would make anyone either admire her or think she was insane, and she didn't care either way.

Prince Ryu thoughtfully caressed a rose, deeply disturbed. The fact that Mirielle had blown the whistle to Mika about Aldin's abuse of the boys _now_ was no coincidence. It had everything to do with this journey; Aldin was involved in the reason he was sent on this mission. Ryu was _sure_ of it now. If the timing of this hadn't been so convenient, then the fact that Aldin wanted his boys back so badly would have confirmed it. Aldin had never loved them- any of them- and they all knew it.

This was a serious, serious problem. Ryu bent to smell the rose he was touching, trying to calm his own inner panic. The biggest problem of them all was the conversation he'd had with Mika before leaving Dragnier. Mika was with him again, and neither had sought the other. Ryu had eased the other Dragon's mind about the Destined Cycle by agreeing that if Mika was Destined, they'd end up traveling together and there was nothing either could say about it. That was exactly what happened. Now the Dark Dragon was firmly convinced he was a Destined.

"I see you're enjoying the roses as usual, my Prince."

Ryu smiled despite the fact that _she_ was another problem. He didn't move away as Nina put her arms around his waist from behind, instead leaning back slightly against her. "You've got a talent for growing roses, sweet Princess," he replied softly.

Nina laughed and loosened her hold on him so Ryu could turn to face her. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and he'd seen some beautiful people in his relatively short life. True to the royal blood of Wyndia, the woman had bright, expressive blue eyes, golden-blonde hair that fell to her shoulders in gentle waves, and a mischievous smile that regularly worried her parents and the chancellor.

They stared at each other like lovesick puppies for a few seconds, and then Nina said, "So that's the Mika you talk so much about."

"Yes, that's him."

"He's quite a gentleman," Nina observed. "I didn't know he was a Dark Dragon, though."

Ryu grimaced in annoyance and surprise, not expecting the Princess to feel any prejudice towards Dark Dragons. "His race doesn't matter to me," he said, unable to keep his irritation from his voice, "and it shouldn't matter to you, either."

Nina drew back slightly, genuinely surprised. "It doesn't. I'm a little hurt you'd think that of me, love." At this, Ryu looked away, now thoroughly upset. "Hey, stop that. I said a _little_ and I understand why you're so defensive about it. I'm just curious as to how a Light Dragon prince and a Dark Dragon orphan got so close, that's all."

"How'd a Light Dragon prince and a Faeish Princess end up lovers?" Ryu countered with a smirk.

His curtness earned him a light slap on the shoulder. "Behave yourself, Ryu," Nina scolded with a grin. "And that's not so surprising, either. The Light Dragons and the Fae have always regarded each other as friends, and _no_ one in the world considers the Dark Dragons friends. Dragnier even has some pretty oppressive laws to keep them in line. I can imagine any friendship between you and a bastard Dark Dragon would be strongly discouraged."

Ryu finally thought he understood what his lover was saying, and shook his head. "Only Aldin discouraged it," he told her. "After we caught him trying to murder the poor kid, Father made Mika one of our own servants. We ended up spending a lot of time together."

"That still doesn't explain how neither your father nor the King objected to your friendship," Nina returned pointedly.

The Dragon Prince sighed heavily. "Mika's a special case. He's half Light-"

"And that still doesn't explain it," Nina cut him off, growing irate with Ryu's avoidance of her question. "If a Dragon has Dark blood, they're regarded as a Dark Dragon, period."

"What does it matter?" Ryu snapped, pulling away from her and turning back to the roses.

"It _doesn't_," Nina retorted, just as hotly, "but if you don't want to answer the question, say so rather than trying to dodge it, Ryu! That's so annoying!"

Ryu signed heavily again, putting a hand to his forehead. "I'm not trying to annoy you, Nina," he said finally. "I'm not _allowed_ to answer that question honestly. It's against several Draconic laws."

Nina was astounded. "_What_? You're not _allowed_ to say how you two got so close? All due respect, Ryu, your nation has some of the _dumbest_ rules I have _ever_ heard, and my Father's passed some really dumb laws here."

"Yes, well… stupid laws are still laws."

"You're not in Dragnier, Ryu."

"I'm the Prince of Dragnier. I'm still bound by their laws."

It was Nina's turn to sigh, and she said tiredly, "I wasn't looking for an argument. This isn't that important; I shouldn't be fighting with you on principle. I just wanted to know more about you and your life, that's all." She hesitated for a second, and finished her thoughts, "I'll be in my rooms if you want to talk more tonight, okay? I love you."

"Love you too."

That was that. He seemed to be done talking about this issue. Nina shook her head as she walked away, unable to stop herself from sulking a little bit. She honestly hadn't wanted that to turn into an argument and hadn't seen it coming, but when Ryu made it clear he was dodging because he didn't want to answer, she should have stopped. It wasn't important; it was just unusual.

"Nina, wait!"

The princess stopped as she was about to open the garden doors, and Ryu jogged up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "You can't tell anyone this," he said, "not even Mika. He knows, too, but we're _not_ allowed to talk about it. Don't even mention it to him. Don't mention it to anyone."

"I won't," Nina answered, slightly bewildered. She didn't understand why this was such a big deal. Dragons were frequently orphaned, Dark Dragons at a much higher rate than Light Dragons, and the oppression of the Dark Dragons dated all the way back to the first Dragon War, when the Dark Dragons cooperated with the goddess Myria in their bid for world domination. None of this was new, so why was it such a big deal to the young Light Dragon prince?

Ryu took a deep breath, and then said, very softly, "Mika isn't an orphan." Nina's eyes widened at this slightly- everyone had told her that both of the young squire's parents were dead, including Ryu. He'd _lied_ to her... "He... Mika is my cousin."

The Princess pulled away in shock. Ryu himself wasn't sure what to make of this reaction; he swallowed hard, and said the only thing that came to mind: "I'm sorry, Nina."

Nina shook her head, snapping out of her angry daze. "What are you apologizing for, Ryu?" she asked. "Is this why your uncle was so evil to him? He's Aldin's _son_?" The Prince held his silence, still unsure as to what exactly this meant to Nina, and the woman turned from him abruptly. "I need to go talk to Father. He will _not_ let that demon extradite Mika! I won't allow-"

"Nina!" Ryu hissed, grabbing her wrist. He didn't pull her, and his grip wasn't tight; it wasn't painful at all, but the fact that he was upset enough to grab her like that _frightened_ her. "You can't tell anyone!" the Prince said. "You _promised!_"

Nina yanked away from him, trying hard to figure out what the hell was going on. "I'm sorry," the Princess said in bewilderment. "You know I hate Aldin. Ryu, this is reason enough to grant Mika _and_ the kids political asylum! They wouldn't have to go any further than Wyndia; we could protect them and there's _nothing_ Aldin will be able to say about it!"

Ryu regarded her grimly. It did sound good to him, and that would give Mika plenty of reason to not try to follow him... "Let me talk to him about it," Ryu said finally, tiredly. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to travel alone, staying two steps ahead of any of his well-meaning but stupid loved ones who were convinced that they were all something they were not, and-

"Ryu, you're scaring me."

The Prince's bewildered moping abruptly ceased, and he smiled at her. "I'm sorry. It's all right. I'm just a little stressed, that's all."

"I don't think stressed is the right word," Nina replied, still shaken by her lover's odd behavior. There was an awkward silence, and Nina finally said, "Well! I do want to tell Father to prevent any extradition, if he can. I won't tell him why; I'll just give him my report from when I broke up that little gathering."

"That's fine," said Ryu. "If Mika and I decide that we should reveal his parentage, I'll request an audience with the King for the two of us myself."

"That's a good idea." Another awkward silence descended, and Nina broke it by leaning up and kissing Ryu softly. "Let me know how the conversation with Mika goes, okay? Right away."

"Absolutely. Shouldn't you have already given the King your report, though?"

Nina grinned wryly. "He's used to me not bothering to tell him anything. He knows that if something interesting happens, I will. I'll see you later, my love."

The woman left him alone in the gardens. Ryu turned back to the roses, feeling more burdened now. Although he had been dying to tell someone that Mika was his cousin, now that someone else knew... it didn't give him the relief he thought it would.

Nonetheless, he had to speak with Mika about the possibility of him remaining here with the boys. Ryu sighed heavily as he stood; this was an exercise in futility. There was no way Mika would agree to stay here under the King's protection. He was convinced that he was Destined. Nothing would change that now.

* * *

Nina sat in her room, brooding over her beloved's strange behavior. Ryu was not acting like himself by any stretch of the imagination. Was it Mika's sudden appearance here? Was it so easily explained by his journey? The Princess had no idea.

Princess Nina was so deep in thought that her retainer had to shake her to get her attention. "We're under attack," the little woman said softly. "The Urkans somehow got more information than they should. They're in the palace."

Nina stood immediately, snatching her bow from the side of her bed and automatically going over what needed to be done. "What of my parents, and of Prince Ryu and his companions?"

"Your parents are already on their way out," came the quiet answer as they bustled around the room. "Prince Ryu and Mika have been alerted and are probably in the process of seeking out you."

Nina was satisfied with this. A glance out her window revealed a disturbing scene; lights on the horizon burned bigger and brighter as the moments passed. Wyndia was burning; how they managed to invoke such destruction without much noise was beyond her, but they were doing it. Nina thanked her retainer, and said, "Find the King and Queen and go with them. They'll need your talents."

"As you wish, Mistress." Agatha bowed, and the two parted ways. Nina started in the direction of Mika's room on a wild guess. It hadn't been that long since she and Ryu decided that it was probably best for Mika to stay with his little brothers. That possibility was distinctly out, now, but Ryu was likely still with his cousin.

Nina's guess was accurate; it didn't take long for the men to find her, frightened children in tow. "Wyndia's done," Nina told them softly. "The Urkans are in the palace. We need to get out, _now_."

"I know," Ryu replied. "How did they-"

"I have no idea, but that's not important right now. What is important is that they _did_. Let's go!"

With that, Nina led them quickly through the hallways, moving carefully to avoid being seen by _anyone_. The Urkans weren't above torture; they didn't want to chance any palace worker seeing them and being tortured into telling the Urkans what direction they were going in.

The Princess's path led them to a hallway with a dead end. As Mika frowned and began demanding what the hell they were going to do now, Nina put her hands against the wall and chanted in Faeish, very quietly. The wall, abruptly, vanished. Ryu didn't know quite what to expect, but what they got was one of the possibilities. Mika, however, gaped at the wall that wasn't there anymore and had to be dragged through it, the kids following behind him.

As soon as they were all through, Nina put her hands up again and repeated her incantation, a bit louder this time. The wall reappeared, plunging them all into total darkness. Much to everyone's surprise, Teepo was the first to react, whispering words of magic quickly. A small ball of flame appeared in the boy's hand, eerily illuminating him. It was only a few seconds before the three adults followed suit; the only one who didn't summon such a light was little Ryu, and his magic was unnecessary. The adults had more than enough light between the three of them and Teepo's illuminated enough to guide his little brother as well.

After a quick head count, Nina began guiding the group once more. The passageway eventually gave into a well-light chamber with several identical exits. "Don't leave me," Nina told them firmly. "This catacomb is meant to keep intruders away. There has been more than one would-be ne'er-do-well that's gotten lost here, and most likely died while trying to get out."

Had the circumstances not been so grave, a conversation would have ensued about whether or not the palace sent rescuers in after such ne'er-do-wells. As it was, no one spoke, except a soft whimper from little Ryu and a light scolding and reassurance from Teepo.

At one point in their trek, the younger child issued another quiet whine and Mika considered extinguishing his magical flame to carry him. That idea was put firmly out of his head. He had to be ready to fight, if need be, and he'd lose crucial seconds setting the child down. He made a mental note to cuddle his youngest brother a bit longer once they were safe and resting, gritted his teeth against the instinct to try to do something about both children's discomfort, and continued on.

It became quickly apparent that Nina's admonition for them to stay close to her was well-placed. It didn't take long for both men to become completely lost, being forced to trust Nina's direction completely. Just as Ryu was about to nervously ask if they themselves were lost, the group emerged from a corridor into a chamber that, unlike all of the others they'd been in, had only one exit; the night breeze hit their faces, confirming that they'd made it out.

The group filed cautiously out of the catacomb, wary and prepared to fight or run. The air around them was cool, but only a short distance away, a row of buildings burned furiously. The Princess's distress was obvious, but she didn't make a move to try to intervene in what was clearly the sacking of her city. She motioned for the group to head for the city gates, and the group moved quickly, dodging Urkan soldiers where they could and taking out those that saw them with speed and efficiency.

When they were spotted at the gate, they already knew what to do: run. The group made it down to the Eygnock road, and Nina risked stopping to catch her breath. "Do you think they know who we are?" she asked, gasping for air.

Her answer came from someone she didn't want it from. "Of course we know who you are. I'm going to have to ask you to go back into the city, Princess."

"Garr!" The children immediately both screamed, and Ryu and Mika drew their weapons. Nina pushed past them, drawing herself up to her full height and confronting the four gargoyle-like creatures. "Get out of the way, Guardian!" she thundered, all of her authority pushed into that command. "You have neither the King and Queen in your custody, nor I. You have nothing to gain by restraining us. You have the city. Let us through!"

"On the contrary," Garr replied in his contradictorily jovial and serious voice. "We have plenty to gain. If you wish, Princess, _you_ may go. The Destined Child, Dark Dragon and dragonlets must stay with us. Do not worry; they will not be harmed. Not by our forces, anyway."

"No!"

"Nina, stop," Ryu said softly, stepping forward. "What you want is me," he said evenly. "Let Mika and the kids go as well. They're of absolutely no consequence to you."

Garr's stone-like face seemed to smile sadly. "On the contrary," he repeated, "_they_ are our primary targets."

"What-?"

No one had another chance to speak. "You'll get these boys over my dead body!" Mika snarled, and launched himself at himself at the head Guardian.

Mika's attack was easily deflected; Garr threw him down like a rag doll, and thrust his spear in the ground next to Mika's head. "Do not do that again," Garr rumbled down at him. "Our orders are to take you all alive, but they only stand as long as we do not have to defend ourselves."

"Get away from him!" Prince Ryu snapped, stepping forward himself. Gwar and the still unnamed Guardian blocked him, and Garr tilted his spear slightly so the edge of the blade touched Mika's throat.

"He is not the most important," Garr rumbled threateningly. "Do anything but cooperate and I will kill him." Any chance Mika would have had to get away was gone; if he moved, at all, the Guardian's spear would cut his throat.

Ryu and Nina stood, both seething but neither willing to risk the Dark Dragon's life. The children, frozen in terror and now horror at the prospect of their guardian being murdered before their eyes, both abruptly shrieked. All eyes turned to them; the Woren waitress from the evening before held them both, her claws out and resting against the younger child's own throat. "I'm assuming one of these is who you're really after, then," the girl drawled. "Kill that man and they're _both_ dead. I'm sure your Goddess will be oh-so-pleased that three of your marks that you need to capture alive are dead."

Garr regarded the girl seriously, trying to gauge if she truly intended to murder the children if they killed the Dark Dragon. Finally, Garr pulled his spear upright again and out of the ground. "We cannot risk it," he said finally. "Let them go."

"But Garr-!" Gwar protested, and Garr turned on him angrily.

"Have you forgotten our mission? They cannot die! We'll have another chance to capture them. Do not try to stop them from leaving!"

Seething, Gwar and the other two guardians backed away; Ryu pulled Mika to his feet and retrieved his sword, and the group moved warily down the road, the Woren woman taking take to never take her hands from her hostage's throat. The Guardians made no attempt to follow them.

After they were a good distance away, the waitress finally released the boys, who ran haphazardly to Mika, crying and shaking. Mika looked up at the woman as he bent to gather them in his arms, nearly shaking in relief himself. "I don't know whether to thank you or threaten you," he said softly.

"I deserve both, I think," the girl answered, flicking her tail. "Don't worry. I had no intention on killing them."

"That might not have been a good thing," Ryu observed. "We don't know why the Guardians wanted the boys so badly. You may have been acting mercifully if you killed them, provided we couldn't get away."

Nina approached the young woman, smiling slightly. "I think you deserve thanks," she said appreciatively. "This marks twice that you've risked yourself to help these people, and we don't even know your name. The guards who interrogated and released you never told me."

As the Princess offered a hand, the Woren drew back slightly, her own distrust apparent. It was only momentary, though, and she took Nina's with her own. "I'm Kirin," she said finally. "And it's no big deal. I never could resist a mysterious stranger, even less when he's got adorable tots with him." Kirin winked over her shoulder at Mika, who rolled his eyes and concentrated on checking his small brothers for injuries.

"What now?" Ryu asked abruptly. "Mika was going to Dauna, as was I; it was our best lead to get to Myria. You two have no plans. What are you going to do?"

"I'd like to go with you, Ryu," Nina said, moving away from Kirin to embrace the Destined Child.

She knew what Ryu's response would be before he issued it. "No."

Kirin watched the two bicker for several seconds, her tail flicking back and forth in thought. Finally, she cut in by clearing her throat and saying, "As much as I hate to do this, I'll join you as far as Dauna. My tribe is beyond the Northern Gate; I should probably return there."

Mika was clearly displeased by this statement, but didn't react. "Whatever, we need to get moving," he said, standing with the younger Ryu in his arms. "These two are almost sick with fear now; they need to eat and rest, and soon."

"That would probably be for the best," Nina agreed. "Let's discuss this further once we get to Dauna and have had a chance to refresh ourselves a bit."

* * *

_Your plan failed, Aldin._

"I know. I know! Please, my Lady, just give me one last-"

_Absolutely not! All your scheming has netted me is a city more of people to worry about! I had no interest in the Wyndians, and now I have them! _

"Myria-!"

_I'm going to capture the Destined Child, Aldin, and I'm doing it __**my**__ way! Perhaps your other offspring will have the good sense to stay out of my way, but if they do get in the way-_

"Myria, please… I'll get him for you. I will, myself. I swear it!"

… _interesting. How do you propose this, Aldin? You have no idea where they are, and they're all the way across the globe by now_.

"I don't know yet. But I will. Myria, I'm _begging_ you."

_Even more interesting. You've never reduced yourself so much as to beg. Perhaps I underestimated your feelings for your kin. Very well, Aldin. __**One more chance**__._

"If I fail this time, I will _help_ you in your methods, Myria. I swear it."

_Very well. Good luck, beloved_.


	6. Chapter 6

They acted in synch, none of them wanting to stop but all of them knowing they had to. Both children had fallen asleep as they walked; Kirin was able to carry little Ryu, but Mika had to carry Teepo. They weren't sure as to Kirin's abilities, but they knew they'd be crippled in combat if Mika couldn't fight, or was even delayed in joining the battle. That meant that they _had to_ stop.

By the time they reached the fledgling village, home to only a handful of people, they needed to stop for more than just the boys. All of them were on the verge of collapse as the first rays of light peaked over the horizon. The townspeople fell on them like they were a group of orphans; Nina sleepily acknowledged, in her mind, that they had identified her and that was why they were taken in immediately. An elderly man led her and Kirin to a room, and once he'd taken the Woren's sleeping burden, the two women collapsed onto the beds in the room, and fell asleep almost the instant they were lying down.

Nina's dreams were troubled, filled with images of Wyndia burning. She had forced herself not to watch it anymore than she had to in order to escape, but now it flooded her mind as though she were living it. It felt so real, as she wandered around the city, hopelessly lost. Out of nowhere, an Urkan soldier leaped out at her-

"Princess! It's me!"

The Princess' eyes snapped open at the voice, staring at the man who held one of her wrists. "I'm sorry," Mika said softly. "When I tried to wake you, you tried to hit me."

"I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"There's no time!" Kirin cut her off, already up and bustling around the room. "Ryu's gone!"

As she shook the grogginess of incomplete sleep off, she heard the sound of two boys wailing in another room; Kirin meant her fiancée. "Where has he gone?" Nina asked, tugging the blanket up closer to her throat so she could get up with Mika still in the room.

"Ahead to Dauna," Mika replied stiffly, with a glare at Kirin. "He left a note instructing us to stay here and to absolutely not follow him. Says we don't understand what's going on." With those words, Mika thrust the paper at Nina, turning away. "We have to go after him!"

Nina held the blanket up with one hand and the note in the other, reading it quickly. That was exactly what the note said, although it contained a good deal of emotion Mika left out in his explanation. She'd barely finished reading it when Kirin dumped a bundle of clothing on the side of her bed. "Mika and I will go get the kids together," she said quickly. "Meet us outside as soon as possible!"

The Princess, shaken from her beloved's disappearance, dressed numbly as soon as her companions were out of the room. She had no idea where her parents were, although she assumed they were alive; she knew they were. She just knew. That didn't make the separation any easier, and now Ryu went and took off. Stay here? Was he serious?

She was dressed quickly and out the door quicker. Without a word Kirin picked up little Ryu and the three of them started walking, urgency driving their steps. They weren't sure how much of a head start he had and he didn't have the burden of small children to hinder his progress.

Teepo held his own. He became fatigued quickly, between the fast pace and his small size. He didn't complain, however, and even when he tripped from being tired, he just grit his teeth and got up, and resumed walking. His little brother fixed him with a sympathetic gaze from Kirin's arms.

Kirin was walking last, so her only indication that something was wrong was how Mika growled something rude-sounding in Draconic, drew his sword, and dashed forward. "Protect the kids," Nina ordered as she unslung the bow she picked up in the little fledgling village. Her first attempt to pay for it was rejected, but when she pointed out there were only five hunters in their hamlet and she was reducing that to four until they crafted a new one, they took her money. Hesitantly, and only because they knew the Princess' urgency and need to be away quickly. She was clearly going to argue until they took it.

Kirin set her burden down, and the boy scurried to his brother. The two children clung to each other, little Ryu terrified, Teepo intense, as the three of them watched the scene before them. Mika and Nina stood behind Ryu as they confronted the Guardians once again; "How the hell did they know where we were?" Kirin murmured as she watched.

The Woren woman tensed as one of the guardians, Garr, she believed, pointed at her and the children. Again, not interested in the Destined Child. Why these kids? "Stay _back_," she ordered harshly as Mika responded by lunging hard at Garr. Kirin dashed forward, claws extended, and slashed at Garr above Mika's head, as the Dark Dragon ducked a counter-strike from the Guardian.

Her claws caught the creature across his eyes; Garr grunted and withdrew, putting a hand to his wounded face. The other three Guardians moved to cover him, spears out and ready to fight. Gwar, the one who had encouraged Garr to attack them at Wyndia, looked excited, almost euphoric at the prospect of the kill; the other two Guardians were stoic, but one was hesitant. Kirin recognized that one as the one who seemed bewildered at their last meeting. "Go, Gaist!" the yet-unnamed Guardian hissed as he parried a strike from Ryu.

Gaist looked back at his compatriot. Then, the smallest and most slender of the group, he darted around them and barreled at the children. Kirin howled in dismay and gave chase, but she wasn't fast enough. Teepo shrieked; behind them, Mika's scream of terror and anguish: "_No!_"

The Guardian drew his spear back as he reached the children and thrust it at them, yet his strike stopped short. His gargoyle-like face reflected an inner turmoil; Teepo cringed, his small face screwed up in a grimace of terrified anticipation, but little Ryu stared straight up at Gaist, his blue eyes wide. Something akin to fear was in them, but Gaist saw something much, much more: compassion.

How in Myria's name did a child so young seem so _wise_?

"Gaist!" Garr roared. Mika, who had been knocked down in the battle and had cried out from the ground, scrambled to his feet and lunged at the frozen Guardian. Normally he would scoff at the idea of attacking an enemy's back- and he looked down on those who did- but these were his little brothers who couldn't defend themselves. Mika stabbed viscously at Gaist's back, his sword finding very little purchase in the Guardian's armor. None the less, Gaist gasped as it dented, not injuring him but still inflicting a bit of pain, and turned to face his assailant.

This time it was Mika who hesitated; the Guardian still appeared confused and bewildered. Was his mind off? Garr shouted Gaist's name again, and Gwar darted as fast as his bulk would allow to his injured companion. "You'll pay for that," Gwar snarled at Mika, as he took Gaist's arm and tugged him away. The guardians retreated quickly, Gaist's hesitation being enough to cause the need to regroup.

Mika scrambled to his feet and barreled to the children, sliding in the mud in front of them and scooping them up in his arms, his sword discarded on the ground where he had fallen. He was shaking and barely able to halt the tears of terror and relief that threatened to spill over. One of his small brothers poked the wound that had caused him to tumble to the ground, and little Ryu yelped when the gesture caused it to ooze thick red fluid.

The young swordsman ignored the pain the motion inflicted and his little brothers' distress at seeing his blood. He ignored the tight fluttering in his chest and instead glared up at Kirin. "I told you to stay with them!" he snapped angrily.

Her eyes flashed in irritation and she flicked her tail. "Well, pardon me for not wanting that thing to bring its spear down on your head!" she sassed back, and flounced back to the rest of the group.

"Next time, let it!" Mika hollered at her, over his shoulder.

Kirin stopped and turned back to him, her hands balled in fists. "Oh, that's cute! And what do you think that would do to the poor tykes? Look at them, they're already about ready to bawl because you're hurt!"

"They're more important than I am," Mika muttered, hugging the boys again. That wound in his shoulder was really starting to hurt…

"Oh, I'm sure they are. That's why you don't care if their guardian is slaughtered in front of them," Kirin spat. Neither answered the other after that, and the Woren joined Nina and Ryu.

Nina was giving her betrothed her own upbraiding, but the Destined Child seemed bored, condescending. It was an act, and Kirin saw right through it, even if Nina did not. Kirin interposed herself between the lovers, shaking a clawed finger at Ryu. "And _you_! What's the big idea, running off alone like that! You _know_ they're going to be after you! You _want_ to die, let Myria and her sheep trample all over your people?"

Kirin's scolding took Ryu by surprise, and he tried to recover his arrogant air in time to reply, but the Woren just shook her head. "Don't. Just… stop it. They care about you. You can at _least_ not treat the Princess like a child for it." Thoroughly disgusted, Kirin turned to Nina. "Come on, girl. Let's keep going. Some of their stupid might rub off on us if we stay near them too long." With that, the Woren woman detracted her claws and took Nina's wrist. She led her away from the Destined Child, chattering in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Mika somehow managed to lift little Ryu despite his injured shoulder, and he walked with Teepo's hand firmly caught in his own. Beside him, the Destined Child kept his head down, his face as hidden as he could keep it. Neither of them spoke; the only sounds that broke the silence were the sounds of nature all around them, and the chatting of the girls ahead.

The journey to Dauna was mostly undisturbed; a few stray monsters interrupted their trek, but those assaults were very minor. It also took most of their day; after the group checked into Dauna's little inn, they sat in Ryu and Mika's room, discussing their plans. Ryu intended to enter the mine that day, to see if their one lead to Myria was worth anything. "I'd appreciate it if all of you remained here," he said quietly, "but I doubt that will happen."

"No, it won't," Mika replied dryly, his gaze frequently sliding over to his small half brothers as they played on the floor. "Not after the stunt you pulled this morning. But someone needs to stay with the kids."

"Agreed," said Nina. "The question is who will stay. Mika should go, leaving me or Kirin."

"I'd be more comfortable with you staying, Princess," said Mika, taking his eyes off the children to glower at Kirin.

Nina was about to protest, even as Kirin smirked at the young swordsman, but Ryu interrupted her. "I agree with him," the Prince said. "We barely know Kirin, first of all. Second, she seems to be a stronger fighter than you, Nina."

The Princess huffed, clearly offended, and again tried to argue when Kirin waved a clawed hand. "They're right, Princess," Kirin said. She continued, as she flicked her tail, "I wouldn't leave children in the care of someone I just met, as trustworthy as they seem." The Woren woman shot a glare at Mika at this; his response was to return the smirk she'd given him earlier.

"I wouldn't say you're a stronger fighter," Kirin continued, "but I'll be less of a distraction for them. As Mika so tactfully implied, they care less for me than for you. They'll be more focused on fighting; if you're there, Ryu, at least, will be more concerned with you. I should go."

Kirin's words were matter-of-fact, with no hint of self-depreciation or annoyance. She was doing nothing but stating what she saw as the truth. "All right," Nina conceded. "I'll stay with the boys. But be careful. I'm the only one of us who knows any healing magic."

"We'll be careful," Mika reassured her. "Let's all get some rest. We're probably going to have a rather stressful day tomorrow."

* * *

Nina and Kirin went to the room they had been assigned. Shortly after, one of the village boys came to Mika and Ryu's room and asked Ryu to join the mayor in discussing what had happened in Wyndia; Nina was already there. Ryu excused himself, leaving Mika alone with the boys.

Mika sat at the desk in their room, writing on the sparse paper the inn gave them; it seemed this inn would shut down soon. They were far too small and got far too few visitors. It was a mining town; there wasn't much to see here but a bunch of rocks and the construction of the Northern Checkpoint, the point that marked the edge of "civilized" society. Many Woren tribes actually lived beyond that point, but they kept mostly to themselves. If they had objected to the gate being erected, they would have by now. From what Mika could tell, their only objection was for those Woren who had chosen to live in the rest of the world, and even then, they could easily get back; the checkpoint would be manned, most likely by Wyndian soldiers. If Wyndia recovered.

The thoughts he wrote down would be burned in the fireplace. He wrote just to get them out of his head; he didn't intend to keep them, or allow anyone else to read them. He just needed to express them in some way. Thoughts about Aldin, of Ryu attempting to get away from them. Thoughts about Kirin, how _irritating_ the woman was.

He intended to stay up until Ryu returned, but he was running out of things to complain about to the paper, and getting sleepy to boot. He was preparing to throw his rambling writings in the fireplace when a tiny hand covered his, stopping him. Mika looked at the intruder, who stared up at him with dark, sleepy and haunted eyes. "You're supposed to be in bed," the youth scolded softly, firm but loving.

Little Ryu ignored Mika's reprimand, instead climbing onto the young man's lap. Mika watched the child in amusement, his arms instinctively going to support him. Ryu settled onto his lap in a position he was comfortable in, wrapped his little arms around one of Mika's, and nuzzled his half-brother contentedly. Mika couldn't suppress a chuckle as Little Ryu's eyes fluttered closed. Perhaps Teepo was stealing all of the covers; maybe the child had a bad dream. Why little Ryu had just decided to make Mika his bed was quite irrelevant, and considering that the child was almost asleep again, Mika wasn't inclined to ask him. Perhaps tomorrow morning, but the boy probably wouldn't even remember it by then.

But he couldn't burn the pages with a child nestled in his arms, asleep; he'd have to move too much. He waited until little Ryu's breathing evened out, and then gingerly adjusted his support of the child so that he could carry him. His intention was to deposit the boy back in the bed he was sharing with Teepo.

However, as he moved to stand, the child stirred. Mika froze, not wanting him to wake up. As little Ryu yawned, a tiny, barely audible whispered word came from him. "Daddy…"

Mika sat back down fully, staring at the child in his arms. Then he looked over at the pages of rambling writing, and settled down. His cousin may want to read them when he returned. Well, he could, as long as the Destined Child burned them himself once he was done. He wasn't moving from this chair now. No, he would continue to hold his little half-brother. After that, how could he let little Ryu go?

* * *

Sure enough, Mika was dozing when Ryu returned from his meeting, bleary-eyed and tired. He saw the pages of writings, but when Mika explained that he intended to burn them, Ryu merely scooped them up and tossed them into the fireplace. "It was starting to die, anyway," the Destined Child said. "I don't think you'll get very good sleep like that, Mika."

"Probably not," Mika conceded. Now that Ryu was back, after about an hour of holding his sleeping brother, the concept of holding little Ryu for the entire night seemed ridiculous. Mika's sentimental mood gone, he carefully stood, walked to the childrens' bed, and laid little Ryu down. For a moment, it appeared that the child would wake; Mika held his breath as little Ryu yawned wide and stretched an arm upward. Finding nothing, the boy rubbed his eyes with the searching hand, rolled over onto his side, and nestled into the blankets Mika tucked around him.

Ryu watched in fascination. "He's almost like an infant," Ryu said softly. "Do you really think he's slow because of Aldin?"

Mika shook his head. "Doubtful," he replied. "He's never been quite where he should be for his age. Although I'm sure Aldin's idiocy didn't help."

The two men watched the sleeping children for a few moments more, until Ryu yawned. "I'm going to sleep," he said quietly. "Do you want the bed?"

Mika shook his head. "You take it," he said roughly, his little brother's sleepy statement burning in his head. "I'm used to sleeping on the floor, you're not."

"Mika? Is something wrong?"

The young man considered the question for a moment. _Was_ there something wrong? "No," he answered finally, quite sure of his answer. "No, I'm fine."

* * *

The trio walked through the mine, Kirin holding up a lantern as they went deeper and deeper into the cavern. The miners hadn't delved very far yet; the veins of precious metals, copper and silver and iron, ran pretty close to the mountain's surface. As they mined them out, they'd go further in, searching for more.

But the foreman of this little mining development had told Ryu and Nina something interesting. There were monsters in almost every cavern they blasted through to. The miners had gotten into the habit of making sure they hired mercenaries to take care of them before they moved further into the mines, each time they thought they'd break through to another cavern.

Ryu had a few hypotheses as to where those monsters were coming from. They were relatively rare in those days; civilization had all but caused the extinction of most of the more dangerous, uncontrollable monsters. The rest of them had been domesticated, to one extent or another.

But these monsters were crude, almost prehistoric. There was very little in the world's history that wasn't known by now, but none of the scholars they hired to look over the fuzzy photographs, taken with a chrysm-powered machine, and compare them to the drawings in history books, could identify these creatures. That told Ryu that he was right; this mine was the gateway to the Gods' realm, and thus, the gateway to Myria.

Of course, Nina found his conviction to be amusing and worrisome at the same time. "Investigate it before you get all excited," she remarked teasingly, although it was clear that she believed it to be the path to Myria's home as well. "You sulk when you're disappointed, and it doesn't suit you."

Nothing of their suspicions had been explained to Mika or Kirin. It wasn't necessary. It was a problem that Nina knew, of course, but Ryu was _sure_ he could evade her, somehow. It was just a matter of figuring out how.

He tried to put his plotting to get away from his companions out of his mind and focus entirely on finding where the entrance to this other realm was. The deeper they went into the mine, the more awestruck he was, and for no particular reason. He could feel his cousin's body tense beside him, Mika's breath coming in short, strained gasps and occasionally catching in his throat. Ahead of them, Kirin's light wobbled and faltered; once, Mika almost ran into her. They felt it, too.

The thought occurred to him that maybe his father and grandfather were wrong. None of the miners had ever reported this feeling of awe and reverence. Of course, none of the miners probably knew where this might lead and would have assumed it was all in their minds.

The winding path from cavern to cavern came to an abrupt end, about four caverns in. Here was the most recently excavated cave, one that had already been cleared out of monsters. Although it was irrational to think otherwise, Ryu was disappointed that none of the monsters were still alive. They may have provided crucial information. What kind of crucial information? The Destined Child was at a loss to define it that far, but it certainly would have provided something.

Mika broke from their small group, walking around the cavern with his hand pressed to its rough wall. He'd done this in the other three caverns as well, a behavior that had baffled both of his companions, although they said nothing. Ryu knew that his cousin did everything with a purpose and wouldn't question him. And Kirin merely assumed that if this was concerning, Ryu would say something, and he did not.

However, it seemed that they'd reached a dead end. As Mika made his round along the wall of the cavern, Kirin and Ryu discussed the sense of awe quietly. Kirin knew nothing of gods and of Destined Cycles, really- only what was the very basic common knowledge- but she had no trouble agreeing with Ryu that wherever they needed to go, this was the way to get there. They debated asking the miners to just keep going, keep breaking through chamber after chamber until they found what they were looking for.

Ryu noticed Mika had stopped, and he cut his own sentence off mid-word to ask, "What's up?"

Mika didn't turn to face them. He was facing the wall still, a little to the right of where the miners were prepared to attempt to blast through it. It might take them several tries to find the tunnel again, but that was where they would start. "The wall here isn't as rough as the rest of it," he answered quietly, his baritone voice echoing eerily in the chamber.

Ryu and Kirin both walked over to join him; as Kirin examined the portion of the wall Mika hadn't, Ryu put a hand next to Mika's. Sure enough, it a good deal smoother than it looked. He tested this by moving it to the right, towards the marked blast area. It felt as though someone had sanded this area down.

The Destined Child took a step back in order to let Kirin test the wall as she rejoined them. "This makes no sense," Ryu said. "Why wouldn't they investigate this more? Why not try to blast through _here_?"

Before Mika had a chance to give an answer, Kirin did. "I can't feel any difference," she said flatly.

The Dragons stared at her in confusion. Members of the Woren clan had a very tuned sense of touch. If she couldn't feel it, but they could… "We need a little more information about this," Ryu said finally. "We'd probably learn more back in Dragnier." The problem this presented struck him abruptly, and he cursed softly in Draconic. "We'll probably have to go through the northern pass to Caer Xhan and back across the plains. I don't think it's a good idea to go through Wyndia and Urkan Tapa."

"No, probably not," Kirin agreed. "Should we go back to the village, tell Nina?"

Mika nodded. "We've got to figure out what to do with the boys, too," he said. "I don't want to drag them all over the planet if I don't have to."

"Well, back to Dauna it is, then," said Ryu, disappointed but not inconsolably so. This venture wasn't entirely fruitless; that smooth spot was a lead, at the very least. As the three started to head back, Ryu glanced back into the cavern, unable to shake the feeling that the key to Myria was right there, just out of reach.


	7. Chapter 7

The Urkans attacked almost the very moment Nina's companions were in the mine. How'd they know? Nina had a bit of military expertise, enough that she could comfortably lead a small command; and she assisted the head of Duana's small militia in their efforts to keep the Urkans out.

But it was little use. As it seemed that the battle was about to turn irreparably in favor of the Urkans, the commander approached her, gasping for breath from his own fighting. "You need to take your kids and get out!" he shouted over the roar of the battle.

"And where am I supposed to take them?" Nina demanded, her voice more harsh than intended because of her volume. "What about my companions?"

"Head for the Northern Checkpoint!" the commander roared. "Don't worry about the other three; we'll hold off the Urkans long enough to get them to safety as well!"

"You're asking me to abandon you!"

"Dauna isn't your problem, Princess!"

"They're attacking because of us!" Nina retorted. "We can't-"

"Not only can you, you _must_!" the commander cut her off. "I need to get back to the battle! _Go_!"

And then the commander of Dauna's tiny, insufficient militia disappeared back into the fray. Biting back tears of rage, grieving and indignant, Nina banged back into the small inn and, wordlessly, herded her cowering charges towards the back entrance. She guided them quickly, keeping to shadows and secluded areas, as much as she could. A service path was hewn in the stone of the mountain, near the mine's entrance, primitive but effective. She knelt as they came to it, and told the boys, "We have to go really fast. We might have to climb over big rocks, too. You've got to be brave and keep up, no matter what happens. Do you understand?"

Teepo spoke his acknowledgement, while little Ryu simply nodded. Nina took both of them by the hand, firmly, and began guiding them up the service path. They needed to reach the first plateau; the service path had been hewn almost half-way up this peak, but at that first plateau, a rickety scaffolding was suspended from the second, leading straight across to the establishment wall. She didn't trust that scaffolding to be stable, but she had little choice.

She still had to figure out how to get the kids down the other side of the wall, and doing this exposed them to any archers, gunmen or mages that might be looking for targets. But this was the only way she saw; they couldn't go through the front gate, and she had neither the time, nor the strength to cut a hole in the wall at ground level. It was their only way out.

The Princess was startled when they reached the plateau; the moment they stepped foot on the level ground, a tiny mechanical soldier appeared. Nina stopped, quickly unslinging her bow and nocking an arrow. Mechanical soldiers were common in military operations, and had several uses, not all of which were hostile. However, if this little thing was a recon soldier, she had to destroy it.

The tiny soldier wasn't going to hang around, though. As soon as it "saw" Nina, the machine bolted, heading towards the entrance to that level of the mine. Nina loosed her arrow, and it dodged, skittering to a halt before the entrance.

And then it stopped, and turned to face her once more. After a moment, it skittered a few inches into the mine, and then turned again. Puzzled, Nina asked, "Do you want us to follow you?"

The mechanical soldier gave a loud _beep_, and repeated its puzzling action. This could be a trap, she knew; yet her instincts were telling her to follow the machine. "Let's go," she told the kids. "Stay behind me."

As they ventured into the mine, the soldier began glowing, the light's intensity growing as their environment got darker. From the central chamber, it led them down a narrow side corridor that sloped downward rather sharply. Nina had to walk carefully to keep her footing, as did her charges; the soldier seemed unperturbed by the slope, though, and kept up its steady pace, stopping only when the three refugees fell too far behind.

The slope abruptly leveled out after quite some time; Nina could see little but the little glowing solider, but her sense of direction told her that they were back on ground level, or close too it. The corridor continued, heading straight forward. Nina followed it cautiously, and couldn't decide whether she should be alarmed or relieved when a blast of cool, fresh air hit them. As Teepo and Ryu felt it, they started to run forward; Nina's reprimand was sharp, but quiet. She dared not holler in this shaft. She didn't know how stable it was.

Daylight filtered into the shaft, not very far ahead. Nina inched forward as the soldier stopped at the opening; had it led them back down into the settlement? Finally, as Nina got a clear view of what lay beyond this tiny, cramped shaft, the Princess relaxed. Relief flooded over her as she exited the shaft, calling out softly for the kids to follow her. If the Daunians survived the battle, she'd have to ask what that shaft was intended to be, but it lead outside of the settlement, and, it seemed, outside of the Northern Checkpoint.

After several feet, the rocky and open ground gave way to a forest, its trees and foliage thin at first, and thickening as the growth took root further away from the mountain. Nina did not hesitate to direct the children into the woods; they needed cover, in case the Urkans knew of that shaft, as well. Just as she was about to take cover under the trees as well, she turned to check on the tiny mechanical soldier. It was gone.

She didn't guide them far into the woods, however. Just far enough that they had sufficient cover and notice in case an Urkan did discover that shaft. They were surrounded by trees and foliage and wildlife; plenty of cover. So much that Nina worried that her companions may not be able to find them.

But she had little choice. Rather than wander about, it was best for someone who was lost to stay put, and stay put they would, unless threatened. The boys entertained themselves poking in the dirt; time passed. Nina first occupied herself by pacing the perimeter of the tight group of trees that sheltered them; after several hours, her pacing lost its purpose of guarding them and became aimless.

As twilight fell, Nina tensely ordered the kids to gather up some sticks. They had long ago stopped playing, now simply sitting in each others arms, shivering. This new order gave them something to do, and they both had an air of relief about them as they grabbed up any dry sticks they could lift. Nina herself watched the foliage intently as she grabbed her bow and loaded it. A bit of movement caught her attention; quickly, she drew the bow and fired, and there was a low _thud_ from where she had shot.

She went quickly to the underbrush she shot into, and retrieved her kill: a boar. A baby boar, at that. Nina swallowed the guilt at having killed an animal; they needed to eat. The guilt surged, however, as she turned back to the children, boar in hand, and Ryu cried out in distress. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked, quietly and trying to sound concerned. She wasn't. It was time for this kid to get a thicker skin.

Little Ryu, however, backed up a step and shook his head hard and fast. "I am," Teepo answered, subdued. Without another word, Nina laid her kill on the ground, set aside her bow, and drew her dagger. The younger brother made an unhappy noise, and busied himself with poking in some of the flowering bushes. As the Princess skinned the creature, she thanked the Gods that her father had allowed her to undergo some of the same training a Wyndian soldier endured. They'd starve if she couldn't do this, and her limited knowledge of edible wild plants and berries _might_ keep little Ryu from poisoning himself. Hopefully.

The pile of branches the children gathered would be sufficient for cooking and for warmth. Nina asked Teepo to light the pile on fire, and then instructed him to continue searching for wood until the boar was cooked. Ryu was still busying himself with interesting-looking berries and plants; Nina watched him in concern while she cut a few chunks of the boar's flesh out, hoping he hadn't eaten any of it yet.

As Teepo dumped another batch of sticks in front of her, Nina found one that seemed thick and sturdy enough to hold a hunk of meat, and skewered it. The Princess grimaced as she thrust the skewer into the flames; almost immediately, an acrid stench rose from the meat, unappetizing and unpleasant. She still watched Ryu closely; it seemed that the child was preparing to eat what he had foraged. "Ryu, stop," Nina said quickly. The child obeyed, looking up at her in suspicion. "Come here, let me see that before you eat it."

Much to her surprise, she heard the child mutter, "Not gon' eat that," as he drew near her. She ignored his irritated comment and instead focused on what he had gathered: a few bright red holly berries, a toadstool and some wild onion stalks. "You can't eat this, either," she told him grimly. "It's all poisonous." It wasn't quite the truth- he could eat the wild onion, but he probably wouldn't want to, after he tasted them.

Little Ryu responded by issuing a high-pitched whine. "You don't have to eat this," she reassured him, "but you need to stay alive. I'd be very sad if you died because you ate something that was poisonous. Teepo would be, too. Wouldn't you?"

"It would be his own stupid fault!" Teepo answered, cranky.

Patiently, Nina looked back to Ryu. "Are you gonna let him be like that, Ryu?" she challenged. "Show him what a smart, big boy you are!"

The Princess hid her surprise well, when the child responded, maturely and gracefully, "Teepo 'llowed to think bad. _Not_ eating baby."

"Well, you can't eat this stuff," she repeated firmly. "There will be plenty meat if you change your mind." That settled, Nina turned her attention back to the chunk of meat she was holding in the fire, and Ryu toddled off.

The Princess still kept an eye on the child; she couldn't be sure he wouldn't eat those poisonous plants anyway. When little Ryu sat down at the base of a tree and settled there, Nina relaxed a bit. She was sure he'd get hungry enough to give the boar meat a fair try.

Once Nina estimated that the meat was cooked well enough to kill anything dangerous that may have burrowed in the creature's flesh or blood, Nina handed the skewer to Teepo and set about cutting another portion from the animal. Teepo took the stick gingerly, eyeing the meat mistrustfully. "Maybe Ryu's not being so stupid after all," he muttered. Then, as he gingerly pinched his nostrils closed, Teepo took a timid bite of the boar. Nina noted it seemed to take Teepo quite a bit of willpower to chew and swallow, and he gagged in a dramatic way as soon as it was down.

She cooked her own, and then a portion for Ryu, in case he changed his mind. The meat tasted every bit as bad as Teepo dramatized, but she ate it stubbornly. She needed to have the strength to defend the boys, if necessary, and the energy to keep watch all night.

Ryu never changed his mind; eventually he crawled over to Teepo. The brothers wrapped themselves firmly in each other's arms and dozed off, letting each others' warmth and the warmth from the fire stave off the cold of night. Nina kept near the fire as well, distracting herself from the cold by watching the kids sleep and plotting wedding plans, to be carried out when this sudden nightmare was over…

And then bright sunlight was shining through the boughs of the trees above. She heard Teepo's laughter and Mika's deep, amused voice before she opened her eyes; Kirin glanced down at her. "Hey loverboy!" she sang. "Your girlfriend finally decided to join us!"

Nina glared sleepily at Kirin, torn between relief that all three of them had made it out of Dauna and annoyance at the Woren's attitude. Ryu sat down next to her, and said, teasingly but lovingly, "Some night watch you are. Remind us to never schedule you for the midnight watch, huh?"

"I spent the whole night worrying about you three and you pick on me for being exhausted," Nina grumbled in reply. "How did you guys get out?"

"We hid," Ryu replied dryly. "We heard the battle in the settlement as we were coming back to the surface and chose to stay in the mines instead of emerge. Kirin and I figured the Daunians would help you and the boys escape; there was no point in getting ourselves caught if that were true."

"I'm sure Mika loved that idea," Nina remarked.

"Oh yes," was Ryu's own sarcastic reply. "He couldn't have been happier… how did he word it? 'Skulking about to save our own skins.'"

"We almost didn't keep him," Kirin added softly. "I only stopped him by grabbing him and refusing to let go. He would have had to hurt me to get me off him."

Nina glanced at the Dark Dragon; he was still playing with his small brothers, but was clearly paying attention to the conversation. She looked back to Kirin and answered, just as quietly, "He could have probably hurt you very badly, you know. He'd die for those boys."

"He could have," Kirin replied, "but I knew he wouldn't."

"All right, you can stop talking about how stubborn I am," Mika said finally, rising from the ground. He joined his companions, little Ryu in his arms. "We've got more important things to discuss at the moment. This one hasn't eaten _anything_ since last night." He emphasized his point by jostling the child in his arms; little Ryu responded by laying his head down on Mika's shoulder. "Teepo isn't in very good shape, either, and I don't know about you two, but I'm going to have to side with him about the boar meat." At 'him', Mika nodded his head towards little Ryu's.

"My tribe isn't far from here," Kirin offered. "It should take us until midday to reach it, if we leave now. Are you able to make it that far?"

"I'm fine," Mika replied. "I'm worried about the kids."

"I ate last night!" Teepo said brightly. "I'm fine!"

"Then it's only Ryu there," the older Ryu said. "You gonna be okay travelling, kid?"

Little Ryu looked at his older namesake, and replied softly, "No choice, right? Bad men can't catch us."

"That's right," the Destined Child replied. "You're a big boy, aren't you? Can you walk, too? Or are you too hungry?"

"I try."

The adults exchanged baffled looks as Mika set the child down. Little Ryu took a few steps, and then nodded. "Legs work." Mika had to snatch the child's hand to keep him from walking away.

That decided, Kirin quickly took the lead, pacing herself to stay a short distance ahead, but always keeping the group within earshot and sight. Mika, Ryu and Nina walked together, the boys in front of them. They walked in silence for a while; then, Mika said abruptly, "I think he just talked more than he did all last year."

The Destined Child made a non-committal, "Mmmm" noise. Nina glanced at Mika thoughtfully. "Maybe being around Aldin was just that traumatic for him?" she suggested.

"And this isn't traumatic?" Mika replied, gesturing aimlessly. "I think Aldin was doing something to him that kept him stunted."

"Like what?" Ryu asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know! But there's no way taking him from one traumatic situation into another is helping him _this_ much." Mika's companions didn't respond to this; instead, they both gazed at the younger Dragon child thoughtfully. Why would Aldin purposely stunt one child's growth, but not the other?

At one point, Mika was forced to pick little Ryu up and carry him. The next time the Woren woman looked back at the group, she returned to them. "He's having a hard time, finally," she observed as she neared them.

"Yes," Ryu responded softly. They were all tired, and hungry, even Nina and Teepo. "How much farther is it?"

"We're only about ten minutes off now," Kirin answered. "Keep walking in this direction; I'll run ahead and make sure food and water is prepared for you when you catch up." Without waiting for a response, Kirin dropped to all fours like a cat, and sped off.

Kirin did better than she promised, however; after only a few more minutes of walking, three Woren warriors met them, bearing water skins and a few rations, dried fruit and jerky. "We could not carry much," one of the Woren warriors told the Destined Child. "When the Daughter told us that members of your group hadn't eaten or drank in a day and one of them was a child, the Chief thought it urgent enough to get you food and drink, lest you collapse before reaching your destination."

"Thank you so much," Nina said, stopping just long enough to pass a piece of jerky to the children. Little Ryu refused it, passing it straight to Teepo, who ate it without a thought to manners. Mika took the food rations from Nina as she spoke, and handed the younger child a piece of dried apple. Little Ryu immediately ate it, in much the same rude manner Teepo had. "I am Princess Nina Wyndia," she introduced herself, bowing to their rescuers. "This is the Destined Child, Prince Ryu Bateson of Dragnier; and our escort is Mika of Dragnier." As Nina recited their names, both men bowed slightly. She smiled as the warriors exchanged chagrined expressions. "Might I have your names, Lords?"

"We did not realize we would be escorting royalty, your Majesties," the leader answered with a bow of his own. "I am Sei; my companions are Bo and Crim." The two other warriors bowed as well, and Sei said, "If the Daughter had told us who her companions were, we would have brought a full compliment."

Mika smiled, very slightly; Ryu answered, "It seems that she's gotten to know us well in the time we've been travelling together, then," he said. "She probably didn't tell you because she knew we wouldn't want all that fuss."

The group had started walking again, at a slower pace. "Possibly," Sei commented mildly. "In any case, I am relieved to hear that you survived the rape of Wyndia, Princess Nina. Our Chief will also be relieved, greatly. We may not always agree on politics, but Wyndia has never failed to protect our people when we needed it. We are ashamed that we failed to do the same for your people."

"They came in the middle of the night, with no warning," Nina replied. "Even if you'd known of the attack, you'd have never gotten to us in time."

"Perhaps." And that was the end of their conversation.

Mika, however, cleared his throat, unsure. He didn't want to risk speaking out of turn, but… "Excuse me… Lord Sei?"

"Sei will do, Sir Mika."

Mika suppressed a chuckle. "I'm not a knight yet," he informed Sei. "I'm just Mika."

Sei grinned at him. "What can I do for you, Mika?"

"I was wondering… You've been calling Kirin 'the Daughter'," he said curiously. "Why? I'm not familiar with Woren tribal titles."

Sei looked surprised. "She did not inform you?" This had all three companions' attention, and they shook their heads together. Bo and Crim kept their gaze straight ahead, although their expressions became stony and controlled. "Kirin is the Chief's Daughter. She is our princess, if you will."

"Oh." Mika stooped to pick up little Ryu, simply hushing his protests. He needed a distraction of some kind now. There was no point in thinking about what Sei's information implied, but he couldn't help it: _why_ was a Woren princess working as a common bar wench in Wyndia? He had no idea if his companions felt the same, or why he felt this way himself, but Mika felt _betrayed_. Why the heck should he care?

_I don't_, he told himself firmly. _Common bar wench or princess, it doesn't matter to me_. _It shouldn't_ matter.

But it mattered, and Mika wanted an explanation, whether he was entitled to one or not.


	8. Chapter 8

Rest and food was waiting for the group when they arrived at the village. The village chief insisted that they eat and wash up before they talked about anything. "You've been through hell," the woren said in a deep, booming voice. "You've earned your rest, even if it's only for a few hours."

After genuine thanks were offered, Mika peered around the large thatch hut they were staying on. "Where's Kirin?" he asked.

"Occupied," the Chief replied. Then, after a moment, he added, "You are the one she calls Mika, are you not?"

The group was surprised, most of all Mika. "That's me," he said, almost nervous. "Why?"

"I find it strange," the Chief said, with a tilt of his head. "She travels with royalty, but speaks the most about you."

"Nothing too bad, I hope," Mika muttered, flushing. He _did_ tend to treat her a bit boorishly…

"Not all bad," the Chief replied. Then, he addressed them all, "She's quite enamored with all of you, actually. I'm impressed. She's usually quite a bit more… difficult to deal with."

"If she's usually more difficult to deal with, I feel sorry for you guys," Mika remarked, earning him a slap on the arm from Princess Nina.

As Mika protested the Princess's assault, Ryu said, "Despite Mika's cynicism, she's quite a pleasure to travel with." His tone was light, but still had a diplomatic quality to it. "She's a valuable comrade."

"I'm pleased that she has been such a help to you, Destined Child," the Chief said, beaming proudly. "I must also thank you for returning our prodigal daughter to us. Whatever we can aid you in, we will do. But rest now. There is plenty of time to talk later."

_There isn't really_, Ryu thought darkly, but didn't argue. His companions were all exhausted, as was he. The best thing to do was to just rest.

~*~

It was midmorning the next day by the time the whole group was up and moving about again. Ryu, Nina and Mika met with the village chief while the two children played with a few young Woren who were about their age. By then, Kirin's absence had become conspicuous. Mika had gone from irritated to worried, and he sensed that his companions felt the same.

The Chief didn't give them a chance to ask about the girl's whereabouts. "Kirin tells me that you need to get to Caer Xhan," he said, his tone warm but business-like. "There is a narrow land bridge connecting this continent to the Draconic continent, but it's extremely dangerous, and extremely long. Given the situation you are in, I'm not sure you have the time to take that route."

The three exchanged chagrined glances. "We don't have much of a choice," Ryu said in response. "The Urkans have taken Wyndia and Dauna, as you already know. Any attempt to pass back through those countries to get to Rhaphala would be a suicide run. We're going to have to go quickly, but we've got to go that way."

The Chief nodded. "I figured that. How did you like Sei and Bo?"

The three Destined balked at the sudden change of topic. Mika was the first to get his mental footing again, and answered, "I liked them. I think we all did; why?"

"I shall prepare them to travel with you," the Chief remarked. "I doubt the Urkans will pursue you this far, considering how low their opinions of non-human races are." The Woren's voice was dry, unamused. "Therefore, I believe we can spare two warriors to escort you and see to it that your journey is as swift and eventless as possible."

"That won't be necessary, Father."

The three travelers turned at the sound of Kirin's stiff voice. She stood just inside the door to the thatch hut, her back straight and her head held high. Mika noticed immediately that her attitude was strange, as if she were preparing for a fight. The Chief himself seemed to be taken aback by her assertion; as he tried to regain his train of thought, Kirin walked towards them. "I shall accompany them myself," she said firmly. "I am already familiar with them; their cubs like me and will obey my commands, and we've established that I am competent in battle and I work well in their team."

Mika wanted to object to her reference to his little brothers as "cubs", but as he opened his mouth, Ryu forcefully elbowed him in the side, silencing him. "You will do no such thing, Kirin," the Chief growled. "It's not proper for you to be traipsing off like this. Our tribe needs you _here_."

"Princess Nina's tribe-"

"Has been destroyed!" the Chief snapped. Nina winced visibly and Ryu objected; this was ignored as he continued, "She is fighting for their liberation! You have no such motive-"

"Prince Ryu-"

"Is doing the same thing as Princess Nina," was the cold interruption this time. "I repeat, you have no reason to go traipsing off! You returned home of your own accord, girl, and I expect you to stay and fulfill your duties here, as our Daughter!"

"Maybe I would if my 'duties' included anything but looking pretty, marrying a warrior I don't give a damn about and popping out a few heirs!" Kirin shouted.

"I see being away from us has done nothing for your disposition," the Chief sneered in derision. "Even if that was an accurate description of your duties, how is that any worse than running away to be a common bar whore?"

"W-whore...?"

Ryu, who had been focusing on the Chief during the argument, saw the flicker of remorse on the Chief's face. Nina and Mika had, on the other hand, been watching Kirin; at this, Mika rose and approached the Woren girl as Nina protested the insult loudly. "Kirin-"

She ignored Mika. "How _dare_ you?!" Kirin snarled. "I should have never come back! If I'd known _this_ is what you thought of me, I would have waited for them elsewhere!"

"Don't be an idiot!" the Chief returned visciously. "Where would you have waited?! There's nothing out here but plains, girl!"

"_Anywhere but here!_" Kirin hissed. The Chief roared the other Woren's name, but Kirin ignored him as she turned and bolted from the hut. The older Woren made to follow her, but Mika's arm slammed across the doorway.

The Chief glowered at him dangerously. "Get out of the way, Dragon," he growled.

"_No_," Mika spat, his voice just as threatening as the Chief's. "You have _no_ idea of how much hearing one's father speak like that hurts. I'm not about to let you just tear off after her right after you said _that_."

"You're on thin ice, boy!"

"That's nothing new to me," Mika snapped. With that, Mika withdrew, and dashed off; presumably to give chase himself.

The three remaining people stared after him. Abruptly, the Chief's shoulders slumped. "I _know_ she hurts," he muttered, slamming a fist into the door frame. "Does it not matter that I hurt as well?"

"Not to him," Ryu replied, despite knowing the question was rhetorical.

"Should we go after them?" Nina asked in concern.

The Destined Child shook his head. "No. Mika knows what he's doing right now. I hope."

~*~

Kirin's ears twitched as she picked up the sound of footsteps in the drying grass behind her. They were heavy, and the scent on the air told her that her companion was male. She recognized it, although it wasn't yet familiar enough to her that she could identify its owner by it. By this, she deduced that the intruder was either Ryu or Mika.

And Ryu was far too polite to come up behind a lady and not announce himself. Kirin scowled as she narrowed down who was behind her. "Go away," she growled.

"No, sorry," the man replied just as testily, sitting beside her. "You're free to leave if my presence bothers you _that_ much."

Kirin just sulked, trying to ignore Mika. He was silent for a few moments, simply gazing across the creek she'd seated herself at the bank off. When Mika started clawing small stones out of the grassy ground and tossing them into the creek, Kirin started to get annoyed. Then he started to hum quietly to himself, and she snapped. "All right, Dragonboy," she demanded, "what do you want?"

"To make sure you're safe out here," he said absently. "I dunno what kind of monsters are in this area, or if it's like Wyndia and they tend to stay away during daylight."

"It is," Kirin replied, "and I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you! You can go away now, right?"

Mika sighed heavily. "I don't like you any more than you like me," he commented, "but would it kill you to let someone be your friend when you obviously need one?"

"I don't need a friend!"

"You're an idiot."

Kirin gasped, her irrational anger quickly coming to a boiling point. Mika dug another stone out of the ground and chucked it into the creek. "You have no clue what you have here," he said in a conversational tone, ignoring her growing rage. "I dunno about those two, but I got pretty damn pissed at what he called you. Annoying brat or not, I'd have to say I'm pretty glad that you're with us. You're sure as hell not some 'common bar whore'."

His reassurance seemed to soothe her, and it was very slight, but she relaxed. His next statement almost made her want to attack him. "You've got to go back and apologize, you know."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yep." Mika was still completely calm. "Unless he was completely faking it, he's actually got a pretty high opinion of you. Why would he want you to stay at the village if that was what he really thought of you?" He paused to see if she would offer an answer or contradiction, something he couldn't know that would fill in that particular blank. She didn't. "I think if he really thought that little of you, he'd be begging us to take you with, not insisting that you stay here."

His reasoning dragged Kirin's fury down again. She rested her head against her knees, her tail flicking slowly back and forth. She still didn't answer him, though, and he sighed. "You have no idea how lucky you are that your father cares about you," he said, his voice suddenly hard.

"Oh, and you do?" she snapped.

"_Yes_, I do!" Mika yelled back. "I..." How sharply the volume of his voice rose hit him, and he cleared his throat as Kirin recoiled from him in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout. But yes, I do."

"Mika...?" Kirin said softly. "I- I'm sorry if I've upset you."

He shook his head, his expression becoming distant again. "Not you. The situation."

"What happened, Dragonboy? Why'd this set you off like this?" Kirin asked, genuinely concerned.

Mika responded by rising to his feet. "Nothing that matters anymore," he answered shortly. "I'll be back at the village if you decide you want to talk."

Kirin watched him trudge away, Mika's words- and actions- tumbling through her head. Well, at least he'd given her something to think about other than how much her father hated her...


	9. Chapter 9

Sei paced the perimeter of their establishment, gaze firmly locked on the horizon. On the other side, a second warrior did the same thing; together, they circled and circled and circled the establishment again, sharp eyes watching for any unusual change in the horizon.

Nothing ever did change. At worst, they encountered a rabid boar; once, Sei had to gather a small company to dispatch a harpy. The bandits steered clear, for the most part. Their scouts never returned, and eventually the various groups of them stopped sending them. Whenever they got their claws on such a scout, they were fairly sure it was a newly formed group of vagabonds. They learned quickly.

These two were almost done with their shift; the sun was setting. The next group, at nightfall, would consist of four, instead of two. The night was always more dangerous. Despite the boredom at looking at the same scenery for five hours without break, Sei only just started relaxing. He rolled his shoulders as he lazily paced, planning out the rest of his evening.

Perhaps he would attempt to talk to the Daughter. She was in no less a black mood when she returned, after Mika chased after her, but she was pensive, rather than enraged. They'd been friends since they were cubs; he loved her. It would be a good compromise: she would marry _him_, and Sei would play a supporting role. It would fulfill the letter of the duties the Chief was so, so insistent on forcing down their throats, and Sei preferred it if she stayed there, in the tribe, with them. It was dangerous. Her companions, but for the children, seemed to be fairly trustworthy, but this was Kirin. No one would be skilled or trustworthy enough for Sei to trust them with her. That was just how it was.

Sei's attention was snapped back to his duty at the sound of his companion's voice, at the south face of their village. His tone was urgent; Sei dropped to all fours and sprinted back to where his comrade was, skidding to a halt in the dusty, dry grass. "What is it?" he asked, his eyes scanning where the other warrior would have been looking.

Even though the other Woren pointed, it was unnecessary. Sei saw it, and gritted his teeth. "I don't believe it."

"They're following the Destined Child, still."

Sei swore an oath to Namanda. "Go organize our defense. I will report to the Chief."

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

"Do we have enough provisions to get us back to Dragnier?"

Mika shrugged at the question. "If we're taking Kirin, no."

Nina frowned at him. "We already know that we're not taking Kirin, Mika. Stop brooding about it, please."

"I'm not brooding," he snapped back, "and we _don't _know that we're not taking Kirin."

"She's their princess," Nina told him tiredly, going about the rest of their packing. "They need her here."

"She says she wants to go."

"What she wants really doesn't matter."

Mika stopped what he was doing to glare at her. "I don't believe you!" he snapped. "What she wants is the _only_ thing that matters!"

Nina dropped her bag on the cot she was standing before, and glared right back. "I don't believe _you_," she shot back. "You've spent your whole life around royalty. You know that when you are royalty, you have a duty to your people. Your people own you-"

"Is that what you believe, Nina? Really?" he cut her of vehemently. "That you're not your own person? That you're bound, inexorably, to the 'will of the people', just because of who your parents are?"

His tone was hurt, venomous, and angry, and Nina flinched, understanding just how hurtful such a statement would be to Mika. "That's not quite what I meant," she protested weakly, but he was already gone. She sat down on her cot, face in her hands. That was exactly what she'd meant. And, considering who Mika's father was, and what the 'will of the people' for Mika was, it was horrible.

"Excuse me, Princess. May I enter?"

The request, coming from their host no less, made Nina smile tiredly. "Of course, Chief Leon. It is, after all, your home."

"Of course," the Woren replied, his tail swishing in good humor. "That doesn't change the fact that this is a private chamber and entering without permission is in bad taste. Unfortunately, I fear my question might be in bad taste, as well."

She stood to face him fully, respectfully. "I'm good at diplomatic answers," she replied with a smile, smoothing her slacks. "I don't mind questions, of any stripe."

"Very well. I am curious about Mika."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Why is he so… boorish?"

Nina grimaced at that. "Please don't misinterpret his bluntness for disrespect or unkindness," she replied. "That is just how he is. Mika is a very good, very loyal man."

Leon chuckled quietly. "I did not mean to imply anything disparaging about him," he replied, his tone slightly less formal than Nina's. "My daughter is an excellent judge of character. An endorsement from her will gain our complete trust- which she had provided to you all," he added. "It is simply that, while we've encountered many Dragons in our past, we've never encountered one quite as, as you put it, blunt."

"I'm not at liberty to discuss it," Nina said, after a moment.

And then she said nothing else. Expecting more of an explanation, Leon prompted, "Is it because it's merely impolite to discuss another outside of their presence?"

"No," she answered immediately, with a shake of her head. "It's not that. This is a private conversation between two sovereign rulers; it really isn't any of Mika's business if I chose to talk about him. Ryu's… maybe. Being his lover might nullify it being his business." Nina smiled as Leon laughed appreciatively at her quip, and continued, "No, it's because it's against Draconic law to discuss it. Both Ryu and Mika have chosen to honor this law. I have no right to violate it against their wishes."

Much to Nina's surprise, Leon rolled his eyes. "It's that stupid law that says that if a parent doesn't acknowledge a child, the government can't either, isn't it?" he groused.

"How do you-"

"It's an abusive law," he said, forgetting politeness in his irritation. "I've seen abused cubs. It was his father, wasn't it?" Then, without regard to any attempt the Princess would make to answering him, he gasped sharply, "He thinks that-"

"No!" Nina cut him off. "I can't speak for him, obviously, but with what he's been through, I think that if he thought that of you, he wouldn't still be here. Kirin wouldn't be, either."

"It was that bad?"

She was stunned at the change of tone. This wasn't the brusque, blunt leader of this tribe. This was a father, unable to fathom another mistreating a cub. Unable to understand it. It made her feel ever so slightly better; his appalling lack of empathy for his own daughter had concerned her, and she'd been glad Mika intervened. But why could he show it for a complete stranger and not… "It is those ridiculous laws that keeps this tribe from aligning ourselves fully with the Draconic nation. I know this stance is the odd one out of the tribes, but we will not condone abusive and racist laws. In this culture, you create the cub, you care for it. And if you don't feel care for it, you damn well better pretend you do."

Nina refocused on the discussion. "That brings its own danger," she said, her tone still diplomatic, as if this were merely a friendly debate between rulers. "If a child is not loved by his parents, the parent will resent the child. Emotional abuse is just as bad as physical."

"That is why we add to pretend," Leon replied. "Love isn't merely an emotion. It is an action as well. One can behave in a loving fashion towards someone, even if they hate them. It may be difficult to, but it can be done."

"That's true," she conceded, reminded of how Ryu described his uncle's marriage. His aunt seemed to have that type of love down pat. His uncle, however… "So, just out of curiosity, what does the tribe do when the abuser is a person in a place of high power?"

He shrugged, his tail flicking. "We chieftains aren't above the law of the tribes. We'd be subjected to the same punishment meted out to the poorest of the poor."

She sighed. "As it should be. Unfortunately, the Dragons seem to have different ideas about who is accountable for what."

"What does it matter? He is a Dark Dragon, is he not? They have no rights anyway." Leon's tone was disgusted as he spoke. "His father wouldn't have any power to exercise."

"His father was a Light Dragon."

There was a still, a break in their conversation, as Leon mulled this over. Finally, he said, "I thought you could not speak of it."

Nina threw up her hands, her frustration over the situation finally getting to her. "I'm not. I'm not, damnit, but how is it going to get fixed if no one talks about it!"

"Perhaps that is why that law exists."

That gave her pause. "Perhaps. But you know what? Mika is as much their Prince as Ryu is. I don't know how they can justify treating him like he is an animal because his father is a bitter, temperamental fool!"

Leon's tail stopped flicking; his ears fell back slightly. His eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Wait just a minute, Princess. Are you saying that Prince Kirai refuses to acknowledge his own son because his mother is from the wrong clan?"

"No! Of course not!" Nina exclaimed, aghast. "Prince Kirai is a wonderful man! I know this for a fact; I've dealt with him personally! If it was his choice, he would-"

Nina's protest was cut off at the sound of a horn, loud and frantic. "The watch has seen something," Leon said, striding towards the guest hut's exit. Nina followed him as he made his way to the perimeter of their village, where both Sei and his partner were standing. Leon cursed as Sei pointed out to the horizon; Nina cried out in horror as she followed Leon's gaze. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"You must leave," Leon said immediately, turning to head back to the building they had been in. "I'll send one of our adolescents to round up the Prince and his cousins. You start preparing to go. I regret it, but I can no longer spare a warrior to escort you. I'm so sorry."

"Wait, what? We're not going anywhere!"

Leon stopped short, and turned back to her. "You can't stay here, Princess," he protested, bewildered. "It is of the utmost importance that the Destined Child is not caught by the Myria's forces!"

"Who says we will be?" she fired back. "Dauna has been destroyed, and it is because of us! Hundreds died, defending us! All three of us are capable fighters. Leon, iplease!/i"

The Woren chief stared at her grimly, his answer obvious on his face. Nina squared her shoulders, preparing herself to argue that he couldn't force them to run. Finally, he said with a slight bow, "Very well. We will be honored to fight alongside such noble warriors."

"Thank you," Nina replied, graciously bowing back. "You won't regret it."

"I hope not; for my regret, in this case, may very well be the world's regret."

"We'll be alright. Just worry about getting your warriors prepared! We'll hold our own," Nina promised, darting back to the guest hut. She burst into the room, relieved that her hunch had been correct; Ryu was there again, the kids sitting solemnly on their beds. "Ryu!"

"I know," he said in a low voice, panic just below a calm veneer. "We have a problem."

"What-"

"I can't find Mika."

Nina didn't have time to respond before Leon burst in, eyes wild. "Have you seen Kirin?" he asked frantically.

Ryu growled. "She's missing as well?"

Leon's eyes narrowed. "He ran off with her."

"Mika wouldn't do that!" Ryu snapped, standing.

Before Leon could retort, Nina cut in, "We don't have time for this! Teepo, take your little brother and go with Sir Leon; he'll take you to where you'll be safe."

Nina glanced at the Woren chief to check that there was indeed a safe place for them; he nodded slightly, and said, "But what about my daughter?"

"What about her?" Nina said. Before he could protest again, she said grimly, "Kirin is a grown woman and a very capable warrior to boot. Mika, too. We don't have time to look for them. We have to focus on defending the village."

"But-!"

"What if your roles were reversed, Sir? What if it were you that was missing? Would you want Kirin to focus more on finding you than on defending her people?"

Leon scowled hard at her, his ears back, but her point was made. "Come," he said to the two rather frightened children. "You will be sheltered with the other cubs and adults who cannot fight."

As Leon led them away, the brothers glancing back fearfully as they scurried to keep up, Ryu said darkly, "I really would rather find Mika. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to him."

Nina strapped her leather chestplate on. "Mika is even more capable of defending himself," she said numbly, "if not more. He's a Dragon, after all."

"Yes. A Dragon forbidden from using his power."

"You're kidding me."

"I'm not."

She checked her bow and quiver; she'd need to fletch more arrows after this battle. She might even have to resort to using her dagger. At least the bow was in good condition. "Well, I do hope that common sense will override your stupid laws."

Ryu frowned. "Normally I'd agree with you. This one actually does have a basis. A very good one."

"I'd still prefer his survival over obedience," Nina retorted.

"He wouldn't. Not in this case. He won't use those powers."

"Why?"

Ryu closed his eyes as his lovers' turned to him. He felt so sick by now. He couldn't believe this was happening. "You don't want to know."

And then he stood, getting his own armor and sword ready for combat, leaving Nina to wonder what the devil was wrong with Ryu. This was more than just concern for his cousin, disgust with their laws, or the stress of being chased and the weight of his destiny. Something was extremely wrong.

She was afraid, and she didn't know what she was afraid of.


	10. Chapter 10

Kirin knew something was horrifically wrong by how he was walking: head down, hand to his eyes, and his pace was quick, as if he was trying to get away from something. She was under strict orders to remain inside her father's den. Mika was a big boy and leaving now would alarm them and make them put her under an even tighter watch. She had absolutely no intention on being left behind. Following him could jeopardize her ability to evade the guards her father put on her.

She heaved a sigh as she realized that she couldn't just leave him be, despite all of this. Mika had followed her to make sure she was okay when she was so distraught. Kirin could get some credit, even, from the chief by claiming that she was repaying her debts as soon as she had an opportunity. Maybe he'd see how important it was to her to be able to continue helping them.

Having justified it to herself, Kirin jumped off her bed and crept towards her bedroom's door. Quiet. Were the guards even out there?

Kirin very gingerly pushed the door open and peeked out. Yep. They were there. She shut the door again as she swore. There was no way she could sneak out that way, and this was pretty much wilderness; Mika could protect himself, yes, but what kind of tracking skill did he have? If he managed to get out of view of the village he mightn't be able to find his way back.

Another reason to go after him tucked in the back of her mind, Kirin went back to her bed and stood up on it. Getting the screen out might make plenty of noise, if she did it wrong, and Kirin wasn't known for her crafting skills. She was known for her fighting skills, being one of the best warriors her village boasted, before she had enough of her father and ran away the first time.

Regardless, Kirin just plain had to get out of that hut. She grasped the bottom of the screen, and pushed outward, holding her breath.

After a few seconds of pressure, the bottom of the screen popped off, and she clawed it frantically to keep it from falling out of her hands. Kirin got a firm grip on it, and pulled it inside. She stepped off her bed, shoved the screen underneath it, and then leaped back up on the bed.

She was out of the window and on the ground in short order; she took a moment to regain her bearings, and then snuck around the house and darted in the direction she saw Mika go. Kirin feared that he'd gotten too far away from her for her to track him, but as she made her way cautiously to the village's gate, she caught sight of him, walking straight past the guards. Too caught up in wondering why Mika was so distraught, the guards didn't seem to notice who the Woren girl following him was.

The girl waited until she was well past the guards to call to him. "Mika!" she yelled, once she felt she was far enough away. "Mika, wait!"

He paid her no attention. Kirin called after him a few more times, before choosing to save her breath and merely continue to follow. Mika headed right for the stream that Kirin had gone to; having only had real experience with Woren males, she wasn't sure how to proceed. Well, there were the men she interacted with at the inn in Wyndia, but they didn't count, they were so transient.

As she debated, Mika spoke. "They're planning on leaving you behind." Kirin murmured in anger, but he didn't give her a chance to respond to him. "Apparently, since you're pretty much royalty, your wishes don't matter. Only the village's opinion matters. You belong to them and you have an obligation to do as they wish. And I just wondered, does she realize who she's talking to? Is she seriously saying these things to me, of all people?"

"Mika…"

"I mean, what a load of rakda dung. And she knows better. She knows what that means for me. I can't believe she'd think that…"

Kirin came to stand beside him. "I'm still not sure what's up with you," she said quietly, "but tt obviously hurt. And I'm sorry. Royalty, as you call us, can be pretty damn insensitive."

"I'll say. No wonder you ran away. I would have too, if it'd been an option."

She looked back to the stream. "Now I'm curious. I know you know what you just implied."

"I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"But you obviously want to."

Mika didn't answer right away. When he did, he spoke cautiously. "Dark Dragons are treated like slaves. We barely have person rights. Not allowed to rape or murder us, but good luck getting such a crime prosecuted. It gets even worse when your parents refuse to acknowledge that the child is theirs. Now," he said, "imagine that you are a Dark Dragon born to a Light Dragon Prince of Dragnier."

Kirin had her hands to her mouth, staring at him in open pity and horror. "And Nina knows all this?"

He shrugged. "She's betrothed to Ryu. I have to assume she does. Law or not, it's not very becoming of the heir apparent to keep secrets from his to-be co-ruler."

"I suppose not. Mika, I… I can't even imagine. I thought she was, I don't know… a little more compassionate than that…"

"Oh, she's plenty compassionate. She's also passionate about her duties as a ruler and naive. Kind of hard to understand the conditions in the lowest gutter when you're used to being atop your ivory tower. I know she didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just…"

His voice trailed off, and Kirin thought that words simply failed the man at that point. It was tough to be understanding in those conditions and, while she didn't experience anything quite as horrific as that, she imagined that Mika probably didn't really want to be understanding. He probably just wanted to tell the princess off for her insensitivity. Kirin opened her mouth to tell him that she'd talk to Nina, if he wanted, and stopped; Mika's eyes were narrowed, squinting on the horizon. "Kirin. Do you normally experience large groups of anyone or anything passing through this area?"

"No," she replied, following his gaze. Her throat felt tight when she saw what he did. "We usually go weeks without seeing anything but a few monsters or bandits. Never a group that large."

"The Urkans followed us," Mika said grimly.

"How do you know it's the Urkans?"

"It's either the Urkans or the Dragons and either way, we're in trouble. The Dragons left us alone in Wyndia because they had a treaty with Wyndia. There is no such arrangement with any Woren clan and they will attack if we don't surrender."

"But you're the Destined!"

"And they don't care. We have to warn the village."

Kirin dropped to all fours and sped off as Mika followed behind at a jog. Halfway back, the Woren girl stopped and turned. "It's no good," she called to him. "They're going to catch up to us!"

Mika turned and cursed; sure enough, the troop approaching them was gaining on them fast, and Mika could now see the colors of the Urkan army, and two of the Guardians. "There's no way we can-"

His words were cut off by the sharp braying of a guard's horn; the village had seen the impending invasion. "Time to give them as much an advantage as possible," Mika said grimly, drawing his sword.

Kirin edged closer to him, fur ruffled and claws extended. Her tail flicked and her ears pressed backwards; Mika thought he felt the air change slightly, as it did when someone used magic. That feeling was confirmed when Kirin whispered something, and magic tendrils wrapped around the pair, protectively.

Only a minute later, the first Urkan soldiers reached them.

The battle was immediately furious and desperate, Mika and Kirin struggling to keep up to defend themselves. They quickly found themselves back-to-back, to keep their attackers where they could reach them. Kirin and Mika healed each other magically, as well as they could; his magic was better suited for such things, and so Kirin tried to focus her own on augmenting her attacks.

Desperately close to being overwhelmed, Kirin screamed, "Mika! You're a Dragon, right?"

"Not the time to play question games!" Mika hollered back.

"Use your power!"

"Are you out of your mind?" In ordinary circumstances, she'd be angry at the insult, but right now she was angry because that was clearly a 'no'. "I'd die before I transformed!" Mika yelled at her, breath short and spare attention shorter. "You would if I-"

Kirin yelped as Mika bumped against her, his words cut off abruptly. She snapped his name and looked back; a leering Urkan soldier stood now where Mika had been. Kirin screamed and cut the soldier down, stealing a glance at the ground. Her companion had crumpled to the ground, red staining the brownish-green of the prairie grass beneath him.

She roared in rage and grief, lashing out violently at her attackers. She was going to die. She'd distracted Mika too much and now he was dead and she'd be following him shortly, but like hell was she not going to take as many of them with her as possible!

A much louder roar shook her from her rage. Another Woren warrior leaped at one of Kirin's attackers and Kirin looked around, startled, realizing that the majority of the fighters surrounding her were her own people. In moments she was surrounded by her own kind, the Woren who had leaped to her rescue in the circle with her and Mika, weeping and repeating her name over and over again. Kirin's desperation-hazed mind cleared just enough for her to identify her savior: "Father…"

* * *

Mika knew headaches. One of Aldin's favorite targets, when he was a child, was Mika's head. He'd been knocked out by blows to the head many, many times.

But it was nothing like being hit with the broad side of a sword.

He groaned as he forced his eyes open; the light hurt him terribly but given his circumstances when he lost consciousness, he had to know what his situation was now. "Oh, thank goodness," a voice from beside him said, genuinely relieved.

Mika gingerly turned his head to look at his companion, a thick but snappy remark on his tongue. It died on his lips as his sight focused enough to see her clearly. "Dress?"

Kirin smoothed the skirt of her dress on her knees self-consciously. "Figured it'd be best not to make waves with events being what they were," she said, smiling hesitantly. "I mean, you almost died. Not that I think that Father would let someone die because he's mad at me, but there's no point in testing that theory."

He closed his eyes and straightened his head; looking at her hurt his neck. "I thought we were done for."

"Yeah, me too. They realized we were missing at about the same time they saw the Urkans and put two and two together. They almost didn't get to us in time, though." The Woren picked at the seam of her dress. "How do you feel? Do you want me to bring your friends? Just leave and let you sleep?"

"I want to just sleep, but I should talk to Ryu. I bet my brothers are fit to be tied by now, too."

She stood up. "They've been pretty good, actually. Little Ryu cried a little bit but once we convinced him you'd be okay, he settled down. Teepo was itching to go punch people in the shins, though." Mika laughed, the action hurting his head, as Kirin's smile grew. "I'll bring Ryu, though I don't think the kids should see you yet. I bet you'll be out cold again by the time I get back."

"Then wake me up," Mika replied with a sigh.

That was the last he knew until Ryu's voice calling him, telling him to wake up. When Mika managed to get his eyes open, his cousin said, concerned, "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Like my head got introduced to a broadsword."

"Pretty much as you should, then." Ryu sat down where Kirin had been. "You had us worried, Mika. By the time the battle had cleared to minor skirmishes, you weren't breathing. I thought we'd lost you."

Mika grinned. "Yeah… like that would happen… You can't think that I'm not one of the Destined anymore, Ryu. Our chance meeting in Wyndia, surviving a battle I had no right to- that's got to be more than dumb luck."

Ryu didn't respond as he fixed his gaze on his hands, clasped in his lap. "Yeah… Nina would like to speak to you, if you're up for it."

"I don't think I am, not right now. I'm almost done with this conversation, in fact." Mika was getting very, very sleepy again. "Sorry."

"It's no trouble. She just wants to apologize for her insensitivity. She felt horrible, Mika. She just wasn't thinking when she said what she did."

"I know she didn't mean it maliciously," Mika replied quietly. "That doesn't change what she said, but I do want to talk to her. In a bit."

"Alright. I should let you get some rest, huh?"

Mika nodded, and closed his eyes, murmuring too quietly for Ryu to hear him. Ryu didn't wake him to discover what he was saying. If it was important, he'd probably remember what it was when he woke up.

Back in the main room of the hut, his two other companions waited anxiously. "He sleeps," Ryu told them. "I'm not sure when he'll be okay to travel again. We may have to leave him here."

Kirin flicked her tail. "He is welcome here for as long as he needs to recover and anytime," she said. "You all are."

"Indeed," said Leon, coming into the room. "I still have my daughter because of you all. Thank you."

"We probably still have Mika because of you," Nina replied. "If anyone should be giving thanks, it's us."

"Regardless, Kirin is right. If he must stay behind, he is welcome here. We will do everything we can to make him comfortable and help speed his recovery."

"Thank you," Ryu replied. "I suppose we should rest, too, and then start preparing to leave. We need to keep going."

"Please hold off on your preparations," Leon interjected. "I have some things I must think about and decide on before your departure. The results of this meditation may alter how you must prepare."

Leon left then, leaving the small group to wonder what exactly he was thinking about and how it could possibly change their plans.

The next morning, Mika felt well enough to get up and move around. All four of them were surprised by this; the decision to leave Mika or take him with was put off for a day. That day, he was able to entertain his little brothers for a few minutes.

The quiet on the prairie held; no further Urkan soldiers were seen. Everyone in the group began to relax as Mika healed quickly, except for Ryu. Nina thought him to be strangely displeased at how well his beloved cousin was recovering, and mentioned this in passing to Leon, who smiled. "He hoped Mika would need to be left behind. He's in less danger with us."

The whole week, Leon watched them. He watched Mika and Ryu. He eavesdropped on the conciliatory talk Mika and Nina had. He paid attention to how Kirin played with little Ryu and Teepo to keep them occupied.

When Mika had made a full recovery, he, Nina and Ryu sat together, discussing their plans. Leon, again, watched from a distance as Kirin flitted around, helping them to plot their course through the prairie, going to make sure the clan could provide provisions, kept the children busy while the adults talked. She made no effort to hide how sad she was as she went about her business.

Finally, when the conversation turned back to how much food they would need to get them safely to Dragnier again, Leon intervened. "You're planning to bring too little," he said quietly, padding into the room and flicking his tail as he went.

All four of them seemed surprised by his intrusion. "Sir," Ryu said hesitantly. "All due respect, of course, but we agreed that you shouldn't send any of your warriors with us, in case the Urkans attack you again. I don't think that danger has passed."

Leon grinned toothily. "I'm sure I can spare at least one warrior. Although I haven't asked them yet, I wanted to know what you thought."

At this, Kirin spoke up. "Father, really… we had many casualties in that battle. We'll be crippled if the Urkans attack us again if the injured are not healed by then. We need every warrior we have."

"Truly? We had a few skirmishes while you were gone, daughter. Regardless of how impressive your performance was, I do think we'd survive without you. The Destined need you more than we."

They all stared at him, mouths agape, and Leon laughed. "Well?" he prompted. "How do you feel about our Kirin joining you as a representative of our tribe?"

Ryu nodded. "Yes," he said, solemn. "We would be honored for Kirin to join us once more."

"Oh, Father!" Kirin cried. She threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Leon put his arms around her awkwardly. "There is no need to thank me for doing what I should have from the start. You've proven capable of handling yourself. I was just too proud to see that. I'm sorry."

Over in the corner where the children were keeping themselves busy for the moment, little Ryu watched the adults curiously. He was the only one who saw the shadow fall across his older cousin's eyes. Ryu was near desperation- it was very, very carefully controlled, and Ryu smiled with the rest of them, but it was there.

Kirin was nice and she was strong. Little Ryu was happy she was coming with them. So why was his big cousin so scared?

* * *

Alexandre looked around him, cursing softly. He had little choice when he made the decision to become human, but as a human, he was ill-equipped for this particular task. Healing dying Dragons was draining.

He stood, having done everything he could for the young woman at his feet, leaning heavily on his staff. He wiped as trail of sweat from his temple, intending to only stop long enough to catch his breath. Alexandre was completely immune to the disease that had gripped Caer Xhan- and therefore his reason for choosing to come as a human rather than a Dragon- but his compatriots had their hands full without a human cleric collapsing from exhaustion.

That said, right now, they couldn't spare his efforts, either. At the rate that this epidemic was killing Dragons, Caer Xhan wouldn't have any left within days if it was left uncontrolled. No one of Draconic blood was permitted to enter or leave, but they didn't know if other species could carry it.

The current rumor was that Ladon had sent this plague because the Dragons had displeased him somehow, and that Myria had finally convinced him of how dangerous the Dragons really were. Those statements were absurd, but a growing number of people in the city- including Dragons- believed it. It was far more likely that Myria herself had engineered this disease, in Alex's opinion. Everyone knew that the vast majority of the scientists in the Skystation were Myrians. Alex just didn't know why the King hadn't outlawed Myrianism, since it was no secret that Myria had it out for the Dragons since the beginning of time.

Then again, there was really no humane way for a nation to outlaw a religion. What were they going to do to the citizens of the Draconic nation who were Myrian? Force them out of the country? Force them to go underground if they wanted to practice their religion? All that would do is fuel hatred. The world had already done that far too many times.

"Brother Alexandre!"

Alex turned to the sound of his name being called, and bowed slightly to the speaker as he approached. "Father Agravaine," Alex replied, respectfully, as the Ladonic priest bowed back.

"How are you holding up?" the priest asked him.

Alex held back a tired sigh. "Fine. I just wish I could do more."

"You are doing plenty, child. Plenty. You look fatigued. Maybe it's time for a rest, hm?"

The cleric shook his head. "No, I'm fine. The longer I'm out, the less time a Draconic cleric has to spend exposed to the disease. I can continue."

The priest wrung his hands. "Oh, dear me, Brother Alex. I beg your pardon, but are you sure? After all, if you make yourself ill from exhaustion, you won't be much help later. It is much better to ensure that you remain healthy."

Alex smiled. "I am fine, Father Agravaine," he reiterated. "I know my limit, and I don't intend to cross it. I give you my word."

"Very well, Brother, very well. Return to the church if you need any supplies or such."

"I will, Father. Thank you."

"Ladon bless you," the priest said emphatically, meaning it from the bottom of his soul. As the man walked away, back towards the church, Alex's smile faded and his gaze turned to the south. "Hurry, Ryu," he murmured. "There isn't much time left."


	11. Chapter 11

Aldin wasn't listening to his younger brother's speech and hadn't been for the last five minutes. He had several more important things on his mind than this briefing about a situation in Caer Xhan he already knew more about than anyone in Dragnier. He'd been given immunity to this disease by his Goddess. He had nothing to fear of it and thus, had no need to listen to the precautions and procedures Prince Kirai was instructing them on.

No, he was mulling over his most recent conversation with Myria. He knew he hadn't entirely fallen out of her good graces, for she told him about the plague they were about to embark for Caer Xhan to help combat and made him impervious to it. But he was ordered to stay away from the Destined Child and his companions. He'd failed too many times in a row, she told him sternly. He'd failed too many times in a row and now they would do this her way.

Therefore, the Guardians were to kill them. All of them, except for the Destined Child. And if he hadn't wanted his sons to be harmed, well then, he should have gotten it right at some point when she was giving him the chance to. This was his fault, and his alone. If they didn't move soon, they would be unable to. That was unacceptable, so he'd just have to deal with it.

Well, no. This was _not_ his fault. This was Mirielle's fault. If that witch hadn't gotten involved he'd have been able to turn the Destined Child over right away, and all of those youths would be safe. As safe as they could be with Myria in possession of the Destined Child, anyway. But no, Mirielle just had to interfere, and now they were all to die for it.

He could accomplish his mission here and punish her at the same time. He just had to figure out how he was to do it.

* * *

Their journey was swift, as fast as they could go. Ryu was running out of time. He absolutely had to lose them at Caer Xhan. He didn't know how he was going to lose them at this point; none of them were even supposed to be with him! And now that he knew that Myria was pursuing him, he had to get rid of them before she caught up to him. The only person who was supposed to die was him; that was the plan!

All he knew at this point was that he absolutely could not let Myria get a hold of his little cousin, and he absolutely could not let the rest of them die. His instructions from the Holy Father of the Ladonic Church were extremely clear: Ryu was to make sure he was the _only_ one swept up in this horrible mess. He'd failed to do even something so simple, but what was he to do? If he told them the truth, yes, they'd stop following him, but he strongly doubted that they'd let him continue.

His only choice now was to just hope he could escape them and that they'd take a hint and wouldn't follow. At the very least, leave the kids there!

Ryu was amazed when they arrived in Caer Xhan, completely unmolested. Not even a monster approached them; Ryu thought that maybe, just maybe, his luck was turning. He at least expected the Guardians to interfere with their trek.

His hopeful musing came too soon, he realized, as he cringed at the sound of a guard ordering them to halt. The soldier, who grimaced when he saw who he had just stopped, said, "My apologies, Prince, but you cannot enter the city. Nor can your little cousins or the Dark Dragon."

Ryu scowled back. "Is that so? And why can't we enter the city?"

"By order of your father, my Lord. No Dragon is permitted in or out of the city walls. There's been a… problem, since your departure."

The Prince was starting to get impatient, and crossed his arms over his chest. Was this man going to force him to ask him to clarify every time he opened his mouth? "Yes? And what is the problem?"

The soldier shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable. "It's… there's a sickness, Prince Ryu. They're calling it Dragonplague. It ravishes all it touches, and it only touches those with Draconic blood. It really is best if you and your companions leave. We can't afford you to lose your life to this."

He sighed. Time to lie some more… "That won't happen," he said. "You know it won't. I am the Destined. We're protected from all except Myria."

"Yes, well, the rumors are that Myria is the one who did this to us."

As little as Ryu liked to admit it, they were probably right. Still… "We simply need to use the portal. We won't linger, I promise."

"I still cannot-"

Just as Ryu was about to shout at the man to stand down and let them pass, another booming, commanding voice hollered over them, "Hold!"

"Oh Ladon," Mika muttered, rolling his eyes.

Aldin smirked at him as he approached. "Why are you denying these criminals access to the city?" Aldin asked the guard. "You know that Dark Dragon and his Woren accomplice are wanted for kidnapping two small children and oh-? There they are, right there."

"Mika didn't kidnap us!" Teepo shouted at him angrily. "You're just mad that we like him better than you!"

"Teepo! Hush!" Mika snapped, and Nina stepped forward. "Prince Aldin," she greeted, bowing very slightly. "While I understand your concerns, both Mika and Kirin are under the protection of Wyndia. Furthermore, Kirin is a sovereign of her tribe and according to various treaties with the Woren clans, any prosecutorial attempts must first be heard by the Woren's tribal representative. As Kirin is a member of the sovereign family of her clan- Kirin?"

The Woren girl smirked. "Sorry. Too busy at the moment to deal with your rakda dung."

"And as the Queen apparent of Wyndia," Nina said, "I'm going to have to say no, as well."

Aldin sneered at her. "My deepest sympathies, Nina," he said, a nasty emphasis on her name, "but you must not have received the news. Wyndia is no more."

Nonplussed, Nina replied, "I'm standing before you, aren't I?"

"And you're not the officially recognized Queen of Wyndia."

"Then by all means, tell me where my mother is," Nina snapped back. "We can ask her once you do, although you might want to hold your tongue, since it would reveal your treachery and she'd give you the same answer as I, anyway!"

"Your Highness," Ryu said warningly. And then he said, "Uncle Aldin, as the Prince of Dragnier, I declare that Dragnier officially recognizes Princess Nina of the apparent ruler of Wyndia."

"You don't have the power to do that, nephew," Aldin said incredulously. "Guards, arrest them all. I'm tired of this farce."

As the guards took hesitant steps towards the companions, a voice from within the city gate bellowed, "You will hold, soldiers!" Both of the guards kneeled as the newcomer strode into view. "Let them through."

Aldin turned to face him, angry and frustrated. "Kirai, you can't just let them in here! First of all, there's the issue of Dragonplague-"

"That you were about to ignore in favor of arresting them for a kidnapping that only happened in your imagination!" the Crown Prince of Dragnier snapped back.

"Look!" Aldin shouted, gesturing wildly at the group. "If my accusations are so much fiction, then how in blazes does that Dark Dragon have my children?"

"Because their mother told Mika to take them! For the last time, Aldin, you are not the only one with the authority to make decisions for them! Mirielle does too!"

Aldin crossed his arms over his chest, glowering defiantly. "Very well, but they still cannot enter the city, by order of our father."

"Father isn't here, is he?" Kirai challenged him. "Guards, stand aside and let them through. Now."

The guards hesitated, again. "Your Majesty, Sir," one said, "all due respect, but orders from the King supersedes your own. We can't."

"I will take complete responsibility for this. You won't even be spoken to on this matter. Let them through." Finally, the guards stepped aside, and the party entered the city as Kirai said, sternly, "Go do what you must, and don't worry about this."

"Thank you, Father," Ryu said as they passed, even as Aldin growled, "You're going to regret this, Kirai!"

"Geeze, who was that guy?" Kirin asked as Ryu and Mika guided them through the city to the Portal.

Ryu and Mika exchanged annoyed and worried looks. "That was my uncle, Prince Aldin," Ryu answered finally. "A mean-spirited, villainous jerk with a chip on his shoulder the size of Dragnier itself and an ego to match it."

"Tell us how you really feel about him," Kirin said with a little grin.

"Don't joke," Mika said flatly, in response. "He's a monster."

Kirin stopped talking then, glancing at Nina; solemnly, the other woman shook her head. The Woren bowed her head, ears back and tail drooping, as she turned her gaze back to Mika, worried.

Ryu and Mika guided them straight to the portal. One they got there, Ryu explained briefly that this machine would transport them immediately to Dragnier City; since this meant they would travel several hundred miles in moments, since Kirin, Nina and the kids weren't used to it, they could expect to be very, very motion sick when they arrived, and not to worry: it was normal.

They acknowledged this and piled onto the device; Ryu programmed the coordinates to the Portal in Dragnier and activated the machine, and then dashed onto the panel as it powered up.

The next moment, they were in Dragnier's portal room, and Kirin felt like she was going to throw up. She sat down right where she was, head in her hands and fighting the urge to retch. All of her attention was focused on that task, and she didn't realize what Mika was doing until he'd already laid a hand gently on her back and whispered the words to a low-level healing spell. The nausea subsided and she looked up at him, a little surprised. "Thank you, Mika."

Mika's face flushed and he turned away from her abruptly. "We need to get going," he said roughly, "that's all. No reason to thank me."

Kirin thought to herself that he obviously made up that excuse on the spot, but kept her thoughts to herself. There was no point in needling him for being nice to her. Instead, she simply stood, and the four of them discussed quietly where to go from there.

"Straight to the castle," Ryu said. "I have quite a report to give to my grandfather. I'll join the three of you in looking for information once it's done but for now, go to the library and start researching."

"What about us?" Teepo asked, almost timidly.

Ryu's heart broke to see his strong-willed little cousin like that. When he'd left, the child had an attitude that could make even the most patient person want to punt him across the room. Now the child seemed hyper-alert, almost paranoid, and looked to his guardians to tell him what to do, no matter what.

This was his fault. If he'd been able to do what he was supposed to, none of this would have happened.

With Aldin in Caer Xhan, Ryu knew the kids would be safe here, under the King's protection. "We'll show you to a suite," Ryu told them. "It'll have everything you need to keep you entertained. You're not to leave those rooms for anything unless I, and only I, tell you to do so."

"Yes sir," Teepo replied quietly, and his little brother simply nodded.

Satisfied that they would obey him, Ryu gestured for them to follow him. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation, at all, but it had to be done. Ryu was at a loss now, and he didn't know how to solve this problem anymore. He needed help.

* * *

Deis was surrounded. This was it; it was over. There was nothing more she could do.

That hadn't been the case three hours ago. She was still trying to reason with the Guardians at that point; and then they made it clear that they were having none of it. She was in their God's way, and their God gave them leave to dispose of her as they saw fit.

And then she ran. The Guardians were being deceived; they were mortals who had been twisted to better suit Myria's purposes. She, on the other hand, was a Goddess. She far outpowered them. Deis would not harm mortals who were being lied to, not if she didn't have to. She would to defend herself, but the bare minimum she needed to get away.

That was before she realized that they had the power to force her into a mortal, human body. Now she really couldn't defend herself against them; she had no choice but to run. Without her powers, they were able to corral her back to Urkan Tapa, to the huge altar the Urkans build to their God. And now she was surrounded.

"Stop, Garr, please," Deis said in a low, desperate hiss. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"We know exactly what we're doing, my Lady," Garr rumbled. "It is you who does not understand. The Dragons are dangerous. For the good of the world, they must be exterminated."

"If they're so dangerous, then why are you not being harmed by them?" Deis demanded. "Why are you injured more by ordinary humans and Faeish soldiers?"

Gaw sneered, "The Dragons are helpless before the power of our God!"

"Turn on your brain, Gaw! They're not fighting back!" Deis shouted.

"Perhaps they have realized just how dangerous they are," said Garr, as he gestured for his companions to be silent. "Regardless, our God has spoken. We are simple servants. Our brains are, indeed, on. We've listened to our God, considered her words, and believed them."

Deis shook her head. "Listen to me, Garr! You don't know Myria! I do!"

Gaw and Gatz gasped. "How dare you speak her name?" Gatz roared.

"Silence, Gatz!" Garr shouted over him. When his brothers were quiet again, Garr addressed Deis again. "I apologize for the disrespect, Lady Deis."

"You apologize for the disrespect? You're trying to kill me, Garr!"

He shook his head. "No. We mean only to contain you until the danger is passed. Our Goddess Myria- your sister- does not wish you to be harmed. She knows you are deceived by the Dragons. Lest they turn on you, we need to seal you for your own good."

"You have no idea, Garr. You have no idea. The last time Myria went after the Dragons, she did so in an effort to suppress them so she could enslave the world," Deis replied. "Since suppressing them didn't work, she's now outright killing them and you're helping her do this!"

"Whatever Myria's past crimes," said Garr critically, "she has repented of them. She's seen just how violent the Dragons can be in those very struggles. She means not to enslave the world this time, but to protect it. And to protect you, Lady Deis."

"Garr, no! Please!"

"I'm sorry, my Lady."

* * *

Ryu knelt in the center of the King's chambers, head bowed. He'd given his report- including his failure to shake his unwelcome companions- and now Drake was standing by the panoramic window looking out over the city, hands clasped behind his back, silent. "I'm sorry, Grandfather," Ryu said meekly.

"You've not done anything to be sorry for, Ryu," Drake replied, turning back to the prostrate young man. "Mika is headstrong, Princess Nina has her own reasons, and Miss Kirin seems to be a combination of both. They follow you of their own free will."

The way Drake emphasized his last four words made Ryu wince. "Is it truly their own free will if they're following me due to my own deception?"

"This plan is not yours, Ryu; therefore the deception is not yours."

"Semantics. They're still being deceived. They wouldn't be following me if they knew the truth."

"I sincerely think you're underestimating them, Ryu," Drake said softly.

Ryu lowered his head again and didn't respond. After a few moments, Drake said, "Regardless of all of that, the fact that the boys are with you is indeed an issue. The easiest way to get you away from them is to convince Mika to stop following you."

"Perhaps convincing him that the boys are in imminent danger if he doesn't?"

"I'm not sure that will work. They've been in imminent danger since he joined you. He was injured in a battle with the Urkans and he's not thought twice about leaving them behind or leaving you. If he's not yet convinced that he can protect them better if he stays put, he's not going to be convinced."

"Then you'll have to take custody of them again, Grandfather. And you've justification for it, since both their parents are in Caer Xhan and Mika's accused of kidnapping them. I'd like to see my uncle accuse _you_ of that."

"Pert, Ryu. He mightn't be a very good person but he _is_ still your uncle. But I believe you're right, my boy, I believe you're right. I'll discuss it with Mika."

"Do you want me to send him in?"

"Yes, Ryu, please and thank you."

Drake turned back to the window as Ryu got to his feet. The young man bowed, even though his grandfather's back was to him, and turned to leave the King's chambers. As he reached the great double-doors leading to the antechamber and out into the hallway, the King said, "Ryu, wait a moment."

Ryu turned back to face him. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"You are not and have never been obligated to go through with this. As your companions follow you by their own power, so you have the choice to abandon this plan at any time, to no consequence to yourself."

Ryu thought carefully before he replied. "There may be no consequence from you, my Lord, but if Myria gets her hands on the Destined Child, there will certainly be grievous consequences. If I can delay her power until he's strong enough to take her on himself, then that is what I must do."

"You are still talking as if you have no choice." Drake turned half-way to look at him.

"Perhaps I don't," said Ryu with a shrug. "Perhaps none of us do. We are discussing destiny, after all. Whether I feel I have a choice or not, though, doesn't change the fact that I want to do this. I want to protect my people and those I love."

The King, sadly, turned back to his window, and Ryu left.

* * *

The boys watched their guardian leave the room to go resume helping the adults look for information on the Dauna Mines. Teepo sighed heavily and picked at his blanket. Stupid adults, underestimating them. Stupid him, not being helpful enough. Him being a scaredy cat got them both kicked off the team. Stupid stupid stupid…

Teepo's baby brother stared after the door like a dummy, looked at him, and then looked back at the door. "What do you want, Ryu?" Teepo asked, trying not to sound angry. He wasn't angry at little Ryu, he was angry at himself.

Little Ryu looked back at Teepo, right in the eyes. "Not gonna stay, right?"

"We have to. Mika told us to."

"So?"

"So…?" Teepo smirked. "So we listen. Mama told us to listen to Mika, right?"

"Mama's not here."

It was such a simple statement, so innocent coming out of his little brother's mouth that Teepo wasn't sure he heard him right. "You really want to go with them, don't you?"

The younger boy nodded firmly. "Need us. Need _them_."

"Hmph. You're right; they're all kind of dumb, aren't they?" Teepo ignored how little Ryu frowned and shook his head slightly, as Teepo thought hard about the situation. Once he had a plan starting to hatch in his head, he said in a whisper, feeling that a whisper made it smarter, more important and more daring, "Alright, here's what we're gonna do…"


	12. Chapter 12

The four companions sat in the King's chambers, alone. The King trusted them to be able to formulate their own strategy; it made no sense not to trust them. After all, the fate of an entire race was resting on their shoulders. If he could not trust them, he would not be asking this task of them.

This was the place he could be absolutely sure the group would be undisturbed, so the King let them in and then left them to their own devices. Nina, Kirin and Mika had gathered several books from the royal library and brought them there, and each had discussed their findings and how it was relevant to their situation. What they discovered they now knew was that the so-called "Portal to the Gods" that Ryu was looking for was an ancient ruin known as Obelisk. In the first Dragon War, the Goddess Myria was sealed in Obelisk by the Destined Child and his companions with seven keys. In the second Dragon War, the next Destined Child, said to be a direct descendent of Ladon, gathered those same keys in an effort to find and destroy them before the leader of the Dark Dragon Clan, Emperor Zog, could use them to release the Goddess, who had corrupted the Dark Dragons with the promise of omnipotent power if only they freed her.

As the history went, the Goddess was released instead by Zog's second-in-command, Jade, and the Destined were forced to fight her in Obelisk. The floating fortress was then said to have crumbled where it was, a short distance from Wyndia. It seemed that Obelisk had fallen closer to Wyndia than Dauna, but these were ancient texts and cartography was primitive in that time.

"So now we just have to get in there," Mika said, when they'd put together all of those pieces.

"That's not quite all," Nina replied. "We haven't determined that Dauna Mine is actually Obelisk yet, and even if we do, the Urkans are still there. We've got to figure out how to get past them, too."

"First things first," Kirin said, flicking her tail. "We gotta confirm that's Obelisk. Next, we've got to figure out how to open it up and get in it, and then we focus on figuring out how to get past the Urkans."

"Why are we focusing on getting past the Urkans last?" Mika asked, annoyed.

Kirin smirked at him. "Won't do us much good to sneak through them only to find out that isn't Obelisk and we can't get in anyway, will it?"

"Point noted."

That agreed on, Ryu said quietly, "We're going to have to go back to Caer Xhan, then. If you guys are right, this was all that was in our library. There's a far more extensive library in the Sky Station, and a lab that deals especially with monster taxonomy. If we can get confirmation that the monsters that came out of the mine are from the second Dragon War, we have confirmation that Dauna's on top of a structure from that time, at the very least. I don't think we'll be able to say for certain whether it is or is not Obelisk until we see it for ourselves, but at least getting an era it's from will let us know if we're in the right direction or not."

Kirin looked doubtful. "Will Prince Aldin let us do that?"

"Prince Aldin has no choice," Ryu replied smugly. "Both my father and I outrank him, and the King certainly does. All three of us have said that we're to have access to Caer Xhan, uninhibited, and that's what we're going to have, whether my uncle likes it or not."

Nina was looking at Mika through that exchange, who had his gaze averted. "Hey, Mika… Are you alright?"

He glanced at her. "I'm fine. I just don't like the idea of seeing Aldin, that's all."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, you know. None of you do."

All eyes turned back to Ryu as he spoke. "I know," Mika replied evenly. "His Majesty tried to convince me to remain behind to help care for the children. But you're out of your mind if you think that I'm going to just back down after everything I've seen. Even if I didn't think I was Destined…"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not Destined," Kirin added, her tail flicking back and forth, "but I'm pretty honor-bound to accompany you now, as a representative of my tribe. Do you have any idea the dressing down my father would give me if I gave up now?"

Ryu hid his dismay as his gaze flicked to Nina, who shrugged. "It's not like I have anywhere to go," she said flatly. "My home is destroyed, I don't know where my parents are, and in all likelihood, the Urkans are looking for me and my head. It's a lot safer for me to stay with you."

"You certainly know how to frame your arguments, Princess," Ryu replied dryly, and she smiled tiredly.

"I've gotten to know you."

"So then it's settled, again," said Mika. "Will you stop it with trying to ditch us already?"

The Draconic Prince sighed heavily. "I guess if you haven't been scared off by now, trying to send you three away is an exercise in futility. I'll accept that you're going to stick with me, on one condition." He eyed them all critically in turn as he spoke. "If we're in the midst of battle, and I tell you to run, you run. That's all I ask now."

"That's fine with me," Mika said immediately, and Ryu knew he was lying through his teeth. He wasn't going to obey any such command to run. As the two women chimed in with their solemn agreement, he got the feeling they were lying, too.

Ryu said nothing of his suspicions; after all, he had little business condemning anyone for lying. All he could do now was pray to Ladon to keep them safe.

Hours later had the group back in Caer Xhan. Initially, the soldiers there tried to stop them, send them back to Dragnier through the portal, but Ryu held firm. They needed to get to the library in the sky station, and they were going to.

They were all exhausted and frustrated by the end of the evening. Those monsters were from the era of the Second Dragon War. That structure, as far as they could tell, was sitting on top of Obelisk.

They just couldn't figure out how to get in it.

As they were discussing lodging for the night, and whether or not Mika should seek out Mirielle to give her an update on her sons, there was a knock by the doorway. All four companions looked up as the newcomer said in a soft voice, "I believe I can help you."

"What, with lodging?" Mika asked, confused. "I'm sorry, but-"

"That wasn't what I was talking about," the young man said with a serene smile, "but I can assist with that as well, if you need it. I was referring to Obelisk."

That had the companions' immediate attention. Ryu crossed his arms over his chest and looked him over; he was dressed in the robes of a Ladonic acolyte, the emblem hung around his neck showing his humble rank. Delicate hands loosely held a plain wooden staff, adorned by a small crystal mounted at the top of the staff; it was just an inch taller than he was. "I'm listening," said Ryu, cautiously.

The young man entered the room fully and bowed. "I am Alexander," he said. "I'm a priest in training. I've done a lot of research about the Dragon Wars, as a matter of personal interest. I know all about Obelisk."

As he spoke, Alexander went to one of the bookcases. This area housed the tomes regarding magical artifacts; the companions looked at each other, all of them in varying states of embarrassment. None of them even considered the fact that it was a magical artifact.

Alexander brought the book back to the table, flipping through it. "Ah, here we are. Magical architecture…" He read off the names of various structures, both modern and ancient, before exclaiming, "Obelisk! Here." He put the book down, open to the correct page, and pointing. "It says here that as a safety precaution, when the demigod known as Deathevan-" Alexander grimaced at the name- "managed to gain control of the ruins of Obelisk and bring about the Great Disaster, Ladon put an enchantment on the entrance of Obelisk, that only a disciple of Ladon could open."

"A disciple of Ladon!" Nina exclaimed eagerly. "The Destined Child-"

As a cold fear gripped Ryu- this was it, he was about to be caught- Alexander cut Nina off. "I'm sorry, Princess, but that won't work. The Prince is not a disciple of Ladon."

"But he's Destined!"

"So are you, but you're no more qualified to open the passage than he is."

Ryu and Nina stared at the young cleric, shocked. He'd addressed Nina as Princess and referred to Ryu as Prince, so he knew their rank. For Alexander to speak over Nina in that way was outrageous.

Alexander's expression and tone were solemn and genuine as he said, "I apologize. I frequently speak my mind at inopportune and inappropriate times. Forgive my disrespect."

"It's alright," Ryu replied, his surprise subduing him slightly. "Are you implying that you can open that passage, Alexander?"

"Me? Heh. No, I'm just an acolyte. I'm sure I could if you gave me a few years, but you don't have that kind of time."

"No, we don't." Ryu was irritated, and didn't bother to try to hide it. So, now they knew at least one way to get into Obelisk, but that way was more or less impossible right now. They were right back at where they started. "So is that the only way you know of?"

"Unfortunately, that's the only way in," Alex replied calmly. "Fortunately, it's relatively easy to rectify the problem it presents. One of you just has to become a disciple of Ladon of a high enough rank to open the door."

"Is that all," Mika said dryly.

"Yes," Alex replied, grinning broadly. "That is all. It's quite simple, really. At least two of your number is strong enough to become a Paladin."

The companions looked at each other, incredulous. "But there hasn't been a Paladin in centuries," the Dark Dragon said.

"You're right, of course. But that doesn't mean that there can't be one. It just means that, as you say- there hasn't."

Mika crossed his arms over his chest, glaring. "Alright, then," he said, challenging. "How exactly do you propose one of us becomes a Paladin? We have no idea how to do it, and you're just a grunt. I'm almost positive you don't know, either."

"I don't," Alex conceded. He continue speaking over Mika's smug, "HA!" and added, "But I know someone who does. Do you have a map?"

Kirin immediately produced the map they'd been using to try to figure out if Dauna Mine was really Obelisk. Mika's mouth dropped open as Alex took it, and he said, "Wait, we're really going to trust this guy?"

Ryu shrugged. "Okay, so what's your plan?"

Mika seethed, but said nothing further. Alexander, amused, set the map down on the table and examined it closely. After a moment, he picked up a stray pen and circled a spot on the map. "You need to go there."

They crowded around the map eagerly, staring at the spot Alex had circled. It was Kirin who spoke up this time. "That's in the middle of nowhere."

"Actually, it's in the middle of the Elysian Plains, but assuming you're using that phrase as a figure of speech, you're correct. There's nothing else but monsters for miles around it."

"Okay, so what is 'it'?" Ryu asked.

"It is an ancient Ladonic monastery," Alex answered, proudly. "It's where I was training, before we were summoned to assist here, in the city. That said, I can give you precise directions to it- it should take you a day and a half of travel- but I cannot accompany you. Being one of the handful of healers who is impervious to this disease, I have to stay."

The group exchanged glances, and then Ryu said, "Very well. Tell us how to get to this monastery."

* * *

Teepo guided his little brother, close behind their unwitting guardians, but not too close that they would be noticed. They still weren't far enough from the city; if they got caught now, Mika would just take them back to Caer Xhan and have them sent to Dragnier City.

Behind him, little Ryu whimpered. Initially, his keening had annoyed Teepo; now he empathized. Keeping up with the four adults was harder than he thought it would be. First of all, they had longer legs than the two children; one of their strides was worth two of Teepo's, so they had to walk faster. Second, this was the Elysian Plains. They stood out like a sore thumb; Teepo was using his magic to try to hide them from the adults, but that was taking too much. Then he tried to keep them charmed so they wouldn't see them; that took too much, too. He was exhausting himself too fast to do that.

That left them following along farther behind than he wanted to follow them, because that meant a greater chance of losing them completely. It also meant darting from tree to bush to ditch whenever they could, and that was wearing little Ryu out faster than they could afford.

Teepo sighed in relief as the four adults stopped to consult their map. Little Ryu plopped down on the ground, whining quietly; "Hush," Teepo admonished half-heartedly, and put his hand on the little dagger he'd filched from one of the other travelers staying at the inn at Caer Xhan. He was extremely nervous, for some reason, having the feeling that they were being watched, all six of them. In fact, he got the feeling that whoever was watching them was actually only interested in him and little Ryu. A cool wind blew past them; Teepo shivered, resisting the urge to hug himself in favor of keeping his hand on that dagger.

When the adults started moving again, Teepo took his brother's hand and tugged him to his feet. "C'mon, Ryu," he said, his tone wheedling.

Much to his surprise, little Ryu stood without argument. "We need to go with them now," he said quietly, firmly.

"You feel it too, huh?" Teepo asked him. "Like we're being followed?"

The younger boy nodded in response. "We are. We need to go to Mika now. Now."

Teepo, alarmed by how quickly his little brother was becoming agitated, agreed. "Yeah, let's go tell him that we're here. C'mon."

He took the younger firmly by the hand and pulled him along, half-running. The glint of steel in the sunlight caught Teepo's peripheral vision, and he glanced, seeing the thrown spear just in time to push little Ryu to the ground. "Mika!" he screamed, stumbling and trying to pull Ryu back to his feet as the boy shrieked in terror at the sight of the spear and their attackers. "Guardians!"

* * *

The sound was one that none of the companions thought they'd hear, but even as Nina, Kirin and Ryu hesitated, questioning it, Mika turned. "Teepo!"

As the Dark Dragon sprinted towards the accosted children, the rest of the group drew their weapons. The question of how the children were there flitted through their minds and was put aside, in favor of focusing completely on the task at hand: getting to them and protecting them from the attacking Guardians.

The Guardians had a steep advantage; they'd taken the group by surprise, and stood between the group and the two Dragon children. And yet, the tide was quickly turning in the party's favor; the Guardians yelled at each other, as active in a heated debate as they were in active combat. The argument, spoken in their own guttural, spidery language, was proving to be extremely distracting to the Guardians.

Fortunately for the Guardians, it was also extremely distracting for the companions. They were watching the argument with a sense of fascination, wondering how deep the lines of discord ran in Urkan Tapa's forces, whether or not it infected the whole army or was limited to just the Guardians. Mika was the only one who was focusing his entire attention on trying to defeat the Guardian fighting him and getting to his little brothers.

A lucky strike knocked the Dark Dragon off balance; Mika's cry of surprise and pain got his companions' attention. He braced himself for the killing strike, but the Guardian before him hesitated. A moment later, Garr roared, "Now! While they're distracted!"

The Guardian engaging Nina sprang backwards, turned, and lunged at the cowering children behind them. Nina screamed, "No!" and loosed an arrow at the Guardian. She didn't have time to aim; the arrow sailed harmlessly past the attacking creature as it raised its spear above the frozen kids, and then plunged it down.

The sound of metal striking metal pierced the air, and the children scrambled away as the spear deflected harmlessly off of another spear. "Gaist!" the Guardian roared. "What in blazes did you do that for?"

"I won't let you kill them!" the one called Gaist- the one who had been defending against Mika- retorted hotly.

"Gaist, they're Dragons!" Garr yelled at him.

"They're _children_!" Gaist spat back, pointing a clawed finger at them. "They're just sitting there, pissing in their breeches! They're utterly harmless!"

"Our God has commanded us to-"

"Myria wants it done," Gaist cut him off angrily, taking an offensive stance in front of the kids, "then let Myria do it herself! I'm not gonna murder a bunch of tots barely old enough to walk and four youths who don't have a clue how to defend themselves properly! And I'm not gonna watch you three murder them, either!"

The thwarted Guardian, howling in fury, turned his ire back at Nina, lunging hard at her. Gaist shouted a word of magic as he thrust his hand out towards them; blazing wall of fire erupted in front of the Wyndian Princess, stopping his brother short of attacking her. In response, the fourth of their group shrieked and turned to attack Gaist. "_Stop!_" Garr roared, darting to thwart the attack. "He is confused. We will not fight him now!"

"But Garr-!"

"We will not fight him _now_. He must be given a chance to repent." Garr glared around the battlefield as his two remaining brothers joined him. "Gaist, think long and hard about what you're doing. You're challenging a God's word. _Your_ God's word. That is not something to do lightly. If you do not realize how lost you are, we will show no mercy next time!"

"Bring it," Gaist replied harshly, with narrowed eyes.

Garr bowed his head slightly, an expression of pain flitting across his hard features. He murmured a prayer to Myria; a shimmering light surrounded the three Guardians, and then they were gone.

"Get away from them!" Mika rasped harshly, darting for his brothers.

The Guardian dropped his spear and raised his hands in a submissive, surrendering gesture. "I meant it. I have no desire to harm any of you," Gaist said quietly. "I vowed loyalty to Myria to defend the people I love. I didn't do it to kill a bunch of kids and slaughter people who aren't fighting back."

None of them relaxed, or dropped their weapons, but none of them moved to attack, either. Gaist stared back at them grimly as Mika checked the children for injuries, his hands still raised. "I have no right to ask you to trust me," he said evenly.

"You're right," Ryu cut him off calmly, sword leveled at him. "You vowed loyalty to Myria. That's all that any of us need to know."

"I saved your babies."

"You also attacked them."

"That is true. I cannot undo what I've already done, and I do not wish to. But I will warn you that you do not stand a chance against the Guardians," Gaist said critically. "We could have killed you at any time, and two of my brothers wanted to do just that. It was my dissent that prevented your murder."

"And we're supposed to be grateful for that?" Kirin spat.

The Woren started as Nina put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Yes, actually, we should be," she said quietly. "Put your sword down, Prince. This man is no threat to us."

"He's not a man!" Kirin spat, even as Ryu obeyed Nina, as hesitantly as he did. "He's a- a-"

"He's a man," Nina cut her off, firmly but patiently, "as much as you are a woman, Kirin."

Even without the imminent threat of attack, Gaist didn't move to strike. "My apologies, Princess, but I am not a man. Not any longer. I used to be."

Nina strode forward. "Do you want to gain our trust, Guardian?" she asked gravely.

He bowed to her slightly. "My brothers will attempt to kill you again. I do not understand why Myria's ordered the genocide of the Dragons; they've done very little to prevent us from slaughtering them, only truly fighting back when they're defending others. And even then, I've yet to see this fearsome power that they're supposedly going to use to destroy the world. And I don't know why Myria has ordered us to kill you. I want to know why; you're my best bet to find out. That's not going to happen if I let them kill you."

"That doesn't answer my question," Nina returned, calmly. "Do you want our trust?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Intentions aside, I am still your enemy."

Ryu and Kirin both seemed impressed by this answer, as did Nina. Mika was dumbfounded, as he said, "Don't tell me we're actually going to trust this thing!"

"We're not going to trust him," Nina replied, "but we'll allow him to come with us."

"He could slit all our throats in our sleep!"

"And why would I do that, Dark Dragon?" Gaist retorted, finally lowering his hands. "If I'd wanted you dead, I could have killed you at any time while we were fighting. If I wanted you dead, I'd have not interfered with Gaw's attempt to kill your babies. If I wanted you dead-"

"I think he gets the point, Guardian Gaist," Nina cut him off.

Gaist's red eyes flicked to Nina, and then focused back on Mika. "If I wanted you dead," he finished his sentence, "there have been a thousand opportunities to do it and all of them much easier than this path. Tell me why I'd choose to seek your lives with this complicated scheme you've concocted instead of in combat you were losing."

"I don't know. To toy with us, perhaps."

He narrowed his eyes at Mika. "In the meantime," he said, his voice soft and venomous, "it should interest you to know that Myria's right hand is not our leader, Guardian Garr. It is a Dragon." All of them gasped except Mika and little Ryu; Mika stared back, seething, as Gaist added, "The only Dragons who have ever sided with Myria have been the Dark Dragons."

Ryu frowned sharply. "Explain yourself, Guardian, plainly. Why are you insinuating that Mika is betraying us?"

Gaist turned his attention to the Destined Child. "If you acknowledge that you are no match for the Guardians, you must also acknowledge that I am your best defense against them." He pointed at Mika, still on the ground with his brothers. "And even after you three have accepted the logic in allowing me to continue to follow you, he still resists. Why? Could it be because my presence with you threatens his Goddess's plans for you?"

"How dare you!" Mika exploded, enraged.

"I dare because this makes no sense to me!" Gaist roared back. "The Dark Dragons are oppressed and treated as slaves by the Light Dragons, and here you are, defending two Light Dragon cubs and following a Light Dragon like a loyal little pup-"

"They are my brothers!" Mika snarled. "And Ryu is my-"

"Mika!" Ryu cried. "Don't-"

"Shut up, Ryu! Ryu is my_ cousin_! You're trying to kill my little brothers and my cousin and you're accusing _me_ of trying to kill them?"

The silence that crashed down around them was suffocating. It was Kirin who broke the silence. "I can't believe we're having this conversation," she said shortly, hands on her hips and glaring. "Mika isn't betraying us. If anyone here is in a position to do so, it's the Guardian, and I, frankly, am not so proud that I can't acknowledge that what he says is true. If he hadn't turned on the other three Guardians just then, we were dead meat. I trust Mika. I don't trust Gaist, but I believe what he says. We owe him our lives. Until he gives us a reason to think he's playing games, the least we can do is give him the benefit of the doubt."

Nina murmured her agreement and Gaist bowed his head, rumbling a thanks and apology. Ryu, however, was staring at Mika, stone-faced. After a moment, he said, "As of right now, I trust neither of them."

"Ryu!" Mika cried out, pained, and Teepo snapped out of his daze from hearing Mika declare him his brother. "But Mika wouldn't hurt any of us!" he protested.

As both Kirin and Nina turned on Ryu, he shook his head. "What if, Nina? What if the Guardian's right? How in the world are the Guardians able to track us down so easily if someone isn't telling them where we are?"

Mika shook his head, utterly horrified; Gaist spoke up. "I stand by my accusation, Destined Child, but we are not in contact with Myria's Dragon. We receive our orders directly from her. We don't know that Dragon's identity."

"So you have no proof that Mika's a traitor," Kirin said firmly.

"No, I don't."

"Because he's not."

"I stand by my accusation. I speak only what makes sense to me."

"It makes sense to me as well," Ryu said coldly.

"I'm not betraying you!" Mika cried.

Nina snapped, "He's not betraying us, Ryu. It _doesn't_ make any sense. Have you forgotten why he had the children in the first place? It had nothing to do with Myria or you! It was because their mother asked him to take them from Aldin! If you're going to accuse Mika of conspiring with Myria, you necessarily have to accuse Mirielle as well!"

The Prince shook his head, putting a hand to his face. "I don't know what to think anymore!" he snapped, distressed, confused and frightened.

"Then don't," Mika said through clenched teeth. "I am your cousin."

"Mika-"

"I am your cousin," he said, a little louder. "I have always loved you. I owe you my life, literally. If there's even a shadow of a doubt about my loyalty, then fine. I'm a Dark Dragon. I'm used to being distrusted. But at least give me the same chance to prove myself that you've giving the Guardian."

Ryu nodded finally. "Alright. Alright, that's fair, at least. Right now, we need to get to that monastery. The Guardians know we're here, and we can be seen for miles around us. We need to get to shelter, quickly."


	13. Chapter 13

The monastery was a welcome sight; the party stumbled into its gated walls, exhausted. All but Gaist, who balked at entering; "This is a Draconic sanctuary," he said quietly, his low, rumbling voice respectful. "I've no right to trespass."

"Nonsense, Guardian." The group looked from Gaist, who stood just outside the gate, to the newcomer. An old man, ancient and gray, hobbled towards them, leaning heavily on a staff. "Ladon takes all who seek sanctuary, not just his own. You are as welcome here as Myria herself would be. Enter. You will not come to harm."

"That is not what I fear," Gaist replied, but he did so as he obeyed, stepping through the gate. They all started as the gate swung closed behind him, unassisted. The ancient man beckoned them to follow him, and headed down the path to the temple.

It was a very modest monetary; the temple would've been easily mistaken for merely a very nice house. The path wound through a lovely garden, although it was clear that it was tended by those unskilled in the discipline. The path beneath their feet was a kind of white stone; at one time, the slabs might have been whole. They were now cracked and broken, uneven in several places, causing them all to need to watch their step.

Despite the humble appearance of the place, all seven of the companions were awash in a sensation of reverence and peace. Even Teepo quieted; his subdued attitude was less fearful. Little Ryu's wide-eyed curiosity made his movements more animated, yet he didn't stray from his older brothers' side.

Gaist murmured, as they came to the steps of the temple, "What have I helped to do?"

"You've helped commit a grave crime," the ancient man replied. "Now you can help to stop it. Will you?"

"Yes," Gaist replied, without hesitation. "I will. I'm sorry."

"I know, Guardian Gaist. You and your brothers are all good men. You've been deceived. The key is to see through the lies and try to prevent further damage." As Gaist bowed his head, the ancient man said, "I am known as Ganer. I was a… friend of one of the Destined Children, a very, very long time ago."

"You're human," Ryu said cautiously.

"Not anymore, my boy, not anymore." Ganer smiled. Now that they had come this far, and their attention was fully on the man, they could all see the fact that Ganer could not. The irises of his eyes were as gray as his hair, the pupils so pale that they were barely visible. He stared past them at nothing as he continued, "No human can live as long as I have. I don't understand the magic my lord Ladon used to elongate my life, but it is not mine to question. It is mine to serve." He tilted his head as he said, "You are here looking for the path to Obelisk."

Mika stepped forward, eagerly. "Then the mines in Dauna- that is Obelisk?"

"Is that what they're calling it now? Dauna? Well. I suppose, then, that the answer to your question is 'yes', Dark Dragon. The key to stopping the Goddess lies there. Literally."

As Ganer chuckled at his play on words, one that sailed clean over the companions' heads, they turned to each other, satisfied. Finally, they were making progress! Ryu moved to stand next to Mika, asking, "My lord, we were told that Mika and I are both capable of taking this test. Which one of us do you advise take it?"

The ancient man started, gray eyebrows shooting up. "Did the Destined Child just call me his lord? My goodness, Ladon will not be pleased with the size of my ego if you continue that, Prince Ryu."

The companions started uneasily as Ganer's sightless eyes fixated on them. He stared at them both intently, his aged, wrinkled face hardening in concentration. Finally, he gasped, gray eyes widening in shock and horror. "Mika," he said immediately, commanding. "It must be Mika!"

Discomfited by his behavior, Nina said, "Sir, what have you seen that frightens you so?"

"Nothing!" Ganer snapped. "I see nothing!" Nina jumped at his harsh, abruptly loud tone, and Ganer sucked in a deep breath. "Accept my apologies, Princess. I meant no disrespect, nor to frighten you. But I cannot speak of what I saw, except to advise you to send Mika to take this test. Prince Ryu, if he attempts it, will fail. The price of failure is death. That price is far too high for the Destined Child to pay."

At this, Ganer's eyes fixed on Gaist. The Guardian stared back. "I'm sure we all agree with that assessment," Gaist replied mildly. "The Dark Dragon goes, then."

Mika snarled, "Are you trying to get rid of me so you can do your Goddess' evil bidding?"

Before Gaist could retort, Ganer said, "That's enough! I don't know what quarrel you two have, but you will not quarrel here. No blood will be shed in this holy place, not even metaphorical. Sheath the sword of your tongue, Dark Dragon. You too, Guardian. If you cannot get along, stay away from each other."

Subdued, feeling as though the ancient man had told the two of them to go sit in the corner, Mika and Gaist hastily looked away from each other. Gaist thumped the butt of his spear, which he was using as a walking stick, against the stone path; Mika crossed his arms over his chest, scowling. "Very good," Ganer said finally, at their silence. "An acolyte will be by in very short order to show you all to your rooms. Rest now; you will be summoned when it is time for supper. Do not worry. You're safe here." Folding his thin hands in his sleeves, Ganer turned and shuffled away from them.

* * *

Mika found himself wandering the gardens of the temple, deep in thought. Things were beginning to make sense, in a way that he simply did not want to accept.

He stopped in his strolling to touch one of the flowers on a bush along the path. The bush was covered with these flowers, the petals bright red with yellow streaks creating irregular horizontal bands around it. He bent to smell it, its vibrant colors causing him to expect a vibrant scent as well. It was scentless.

He released it with a heavy sigh and continued his walk. It was beginning to get dark; the party had rested for about an hour, and then had been summoned for dinner, as Ganer said they would be. The meal had been fabulous: smoked fishes, roast venison and roast pork, and a wide selection of fruits and vegetables were served with the most pure water Mika ever had the pleasure of drinking. As the acolytes brought out trays of exotic cheeses and tiny desserts and carafes of sweet wine, the companions began discussing their course once Mika was a Paladin. There was only one path available to them, unless something happened to alter it, but it was a good idea to make sure that all of the companions knew what that path was.

Ganer had stopped them, however, as soon as he heard the conversation. The meal hours were holy hours, he said; it was strictly forbidden to work during these hours, and discussion of their quest counted as work. Mika had then, smarmily, pointed out the acolytes milling around them, serving. "That's work."

Even as Ryu and Nina snapped at him to stop being rude, Ganer laughed merrily. "It's quite alright," he said kindly. "That is most often the first question our young acolytes issue when they first come here, although they're usually a bit more… humble about asking. There is a twofold lesson to answer that question. The first is that work isn't always what it seems. To you, these young men and women are waiting on you, bringing you dishes and taking the ones you have finished with. They're servants. However, to them, this is leisure. Cooking is their hobby, you see. Cooking, distilling, baking… and their dedication to serving this delicious food to you? Showing off their skills."

"In other words, they're doing this to relax," Kirin said, grinning.

"Correct," Ganer replied warmly. "The other lesson is that we must be patient. Their supper hour will be after ours; they refrain from 'work' during the normal supper hour, and we are to have the same courtesy for them."

And so, instead of plotting their next moves, the party was still relaxing. It was driving Mika insane. For all they knew, Myria was at the edge of her power, ready to annihilate the Dragons already and they were twiddling their thumbs for three hours. They didn't have three hours to twiddle their thumbs. Mika feared they didn't even have three hours to sleep, let alone three hours to sit around and ponder their navels.

And then there was Ryu.

Prince Ryu Bateson, the man next in line for the throne, after his father, Kirai. The Destined Child, the single person in the world with the power to defeat Myria, the nemesis of the Dragons. He was destined to traverse the world in the company of a set of companions, also destined to this fate, unravel the puzzles and barricades the Goddess of Desire put up to stop them and ultimately fail in that purpose, as had already happened several times.

Prince Ryu Bateson, the Destined Child, who was doing his damnedest to get rid of his Destined companions.

To complicate matters- or simplify them, as Mika was beginning to suspect- Prince Ryu wasn't Myria's target. Mika's developmentally stunted baby brother was.

That led Mika to a conclusion that was so blood-chillingly awful that he refused to think further than that. It was the only conclusion he could come to with the information he had, and it was obviously an incorrect conclusion. That meant there was something he didn't know. What better place to look for that information but here, in a temple to Ladon that was very obviously ancient and held a wealth of knowledge?

Of course, he couldn't do that during this oh-so-holy supper time, and when they would finally be permitted to "work" again, they needed to launch right into planning their next steps, and getting Mika prepared to take this test.

Wandering wasn't helping and if an acolyte found him, he was sure that they'd inform him that what he was doing was exercise and therefore technically work, so he had to go back to his room. He figured he might as well save them the trouble and do it himself, since this wasn't helping to calm his mind at all.

He turned back to the entrance to the monastery and headed back; he took three steps when a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders from behind. Mika's instinctive scream for help was muffled as a second arm came across his face, pressing a damp cloth tightly over his nose and mouth. A bitter, overwhelming stench filled his nostrils and Mika held his breath, even as he struggled against his assailant.

The few moments he'd inhaled the drug was enough, though, and unconsciousness closed on him after only a few seconds more. Mika slumped in his captor's arms, arms that cradled him gently, as if he was a precious, fragile jewel that would shatter at a single wrong move. The man discarded the cloth on the ground, tenderly brushing his fingertips over Mika's slightly parted lips.

Abruptly, those caressing fingers closed into a fist. "Who knew that it would come to us fighting together," his captor whispered, angry and sinister, "_my son_…"

* * *

A bell chimed, signaling the end of supper; immediately, Ryu went to one of the many libraries this temple housed, the one that they all agreed to meet at, and waited for his companions to arrive.

Nina and Kirin arrived shortly after Ryu; Gaist came next, and then Ganer. The women chatted idly with the ancient man while Ryu brooded; Mika was about to risk his life for a sham. He could see absolutely no way around this; Ganer had already said that he wouldn't survive the test to be a Paladin.

He could guess at why he wouldn't survive. Ladon didn't look kindly on liars.

Fifteen, twenty minutes passed. "Something's wrong," Ryu said finally, nervously. "This isn't like Mika."

"Do you think he's abandoning us?" Nina asked.

Gaist snorted, and Ryu glared at him. "No. He wouldn't run away from danger, especially knowing that we're screwed without him."

"Unless that's his purpose," Gaist muttered.

Ganer shook his head, eyes closed. "No. There is a hostile being in the monastery. A Light Dragon."

The four companions looked at the blind man in dread. "Is Mika in danger?" Ryu asked anxiously.

"I don't know. I do know that he went for a stroll after dinner. If he crossed paths with this malevolent Dragon-"

"We have to find him," Kirin said vehemently.

"But why would a Light Dragon be hostile?" Nina asked, bewildered.

Ryu, Kirin, and Gaist all stood; Nina followed suit uneasily as Gaist answered: "The Light Dragons aren't saints, not by far. Why do you think Myria's able to get such support for her genocide? She's able to point out heinous crimes committed by the Dragons, and the Dark Dragons aren't the only ones she's holding as evil examples."

Kirin frowned sharply, and started to protest; Ganer cut her off, "Gaist would not be traveling with you if he believed that all Dragons were evil. He doesn't even believe that Mika is." All eyes turned to the blind man; Gaist regarded him thoughtfully, pensively.

Ryu shook his head after a moment. "Look, we don't have any time to ponder the evil deeds of the Dragons or Myria. Mika might be in trouble!"

"Ryu's right," Nina said. "We need to find out who this hostile Dragon is, and quickly. This might be our chance to find out who's been feeding information to the Guardians."

"You're wise, Princess," Gaist rumbled, rubbing his chin pensively. "I was positive it was…"

"No more speculation," Ganer ordered urgently. "Go!"

* * *

Ryu, Kirin, Nina, and Gaist stalked the monastery grounds, weapons drawn, alert. This was a holy sanctuary, but as far as any of them knew, blood could have already been drawn, and if Mika was hurt, whoever did it was going to suffer the same fate, and worse.

They circled the grounds twice, and found nothing. "Maybe Ganer was wrong?" Kirin asked, her ears flat against her head, tail snapping anxiously.

Gaist shook his head. "No. I can sense it, as well. I know that aura… it's been present when we've communed with Myria for orders."

"It's not Mika, then?" Ryu asked in a low voice.

"No. It's similar, the same energy, masculine."

"The same energy…" Ryu gasped sharply, and Nina realized it a moment later, crying out in fury. "Aldin!" Ryu yelled into the still of the night. "Show yourself, you coward!"

A laugh pierced the air, echoing all around them. "Mind games," Gaist snarled, bringing his spear up to an offensive position. "It's foolish to waste your magic trying to unnerve us, Commander!" he called. "You are the God's beloved, you're above such pointless tricks! Or aren't you?"

"Oh, my, the traitor speaks," came the sneering reply. It still echoed, but now it was focused at one point, around the corner. As Aldin continued, it continued to diminish to a normal voice. "I take comfort in the fact that you're no longer speaking her name, Guardian," Aldin sneered as he came around that corner. "You don't deserve it."

"What the hell are you doing, Uncle?" Ryu cried angrily. "You know you're not immune! She'll destroy you just as quickly as she'll destroy the rest of us!"

"I know that, Prince," Aldin said, smirking. "I anticipate it eagerly, after I've ensured that she gets every other last Dragon. Once we've confirmed that I am the last, she will end my life as well."

"Why?" Kirin shouted. "Why are you doing this? What have you done with Mika?"

Aldin laughed. "You have to be kidding me, girl. Don't you think I've read enough stories to know that the villain should never explain his motives to the heroes?" His tone was openly mocking as he approached them. "As for what I've done with Mika… nothing at all. He is here. Mika! The Destined Child wants to see you!"

They watched in horror as Mika came around the building corner as well, flanked by a giant arachnid monster. The Dark Dragon's sword was drawn, and he came to stand just behind Aldin, looking at them blankly. "What have you done to him, Aldin?" Nina cried.

"I've done nothing," Aldin replied smoothly. "He's always been on my side, Princess. After all, he _is_ my servant."

Ryu shook his head, hurt and rage coursing through him. "No. No! This can't be true, Mika!"

The dark-haired man's only response was to smirk, ever so slightly, and Aldin laughed. "See? He obeys me- not you. So sorry, Nephew. Mika, Archimedes- kill them."

Without hesitation, both the spider monster and Mika pounced forward, attacking them. Gaist raised his spear to defend himself against the Dark Dragon as the monster went after the two girls. As Ryu launched himself at Aldin with a scream of rage, Gaist watched Mika closely. His movements appeared smooth at first glance, but there was a halt before each of Mika's strikes, as if he was meeting resistance from the air itself. He wasn't acting of his own volition.

He had to distract Aldin. "Commander!" Gaist roared, as he defended himself. "I may be forsaken, but we both know for a fact that your last orders were to leave the Destined alone! You have betrayed our God as well!"

Aldin laughed derisively, although breathlessly, having some difficulty keeping up with Ryu. "I needn't answer to you, traitor!" he snapped. "My reasons are my own, and it won't matter when we're through with you, anyway!"

"You're making a grave mistake! You know that Myria will not look kindly on your disobedience, whether she's pleased with the outcome of it or not!"

"It doesn't matter! I am doing this for my own reasons, _not_ for Myria!"

As Gaist issued his retort, Ryu saw an opening and struck. Aldin gasped sharply in pain as Ryu's sword tore into his abdomen. His concentration broke, and Mika checked his next strike hard. Gaist let his guard down, but Ryu's attack on Aldin hadn't broken the spell, and in the next moment, Mika's sword plunged into the Guardian's arm. "Princess!" Gaist cried, in desperation and pain. "Dispell! Hurry!"

Kirin darted forward to shield Nina from the monster as the Wyndian Princess stepped back, focusing on Mika. Gaist wrapped his arms around the Dark Dragon, screaming in pain as his impaled arm moved. Mika struggled, first to free his sword, then to escape Gaist's hold. Aldin shrieked in fury, snarling at the traitor to release Mika immediately. "No!" Gaist roared. "You will not take him, Commander!"

"Mika! To me!"

Gaist held his breath and held on as Mika struggled harder. The pain was starting to make him feel sick and faint; as he murmured a prayer to Ladon to give him strength, Nina's spell completed, and he felt her magic wash over both of them. Abruptly, Mika stopped twisting in his embrace, and he cried out in total horror.

Aldin, seeing his son freed from his spell, snarled in fury, "Kill them! Kill them all, Archimedes!" With one last scream of rage, and a barely coherent prayer to Myria, Aldin vanished, whisked away by the Goddess's magic.

Ryu, surprised by the sudden disappearance of his foe, turned quickly to face the spider monster. Too quickly; his footing faltered. The beast sprung at him.

Mika, freed from Gaist's hold when he regained control of himself, sprinted towards Ryu. He was off-balance, and if that monster got at him, it was over. The Dark Dragon, his mind still foggy from the drug and the magical charm, slammed into Ryu, knocking him out of Archimedes' path. Then the spider monster was on him, and Mika gasped as the demon's sharp incisors pierced his neck…

* * *

"Get Ganer," Ryu called over the Arachnid's dying screams. Someone obeyed; Nina, Ryu realized. Gaist was too slow and Kirin would have dropped to all fours to run faster. He knelt next to the fallen Dark Dragon, ugly purple lines stretching around the puncture wounds in his pale, clammy skin. His breath came in short, agonized gasps. "Mika," Ryu moaned in despair, unable to even think enough to summon the simple spell that would stop the poison.

"Are- are you al- are you alright?" Mika gasped desperately, struggling to stay conscious. He gritted his teeth against the pain of the monster's venom coursing through his veins.

Ryu nodded, tears streaking down his face; realizing that Mika likely couldn't see that, he choked, "Yes. I'm fine."

"G-Gaist-"

"I'm here, Dark Dragon." The Guardian shifted so he sat closer to Mika, as Kirin held his ice-cold hand in hers.

Mika managed to open his eyes enough to look at the creature. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Hush. I know you didn't. You were being controlled. It isn't your fault, Mika."

"I didn't betray you," he coughed. His voice rose wildly in pitch, as if trying to fend off a physical attack with his words. "I didn't betray you!"

"We know that now as well. You must rest, Mika," Gaist said, as soothingly as he could manage. "You are critically injured. Any discussion can be had later, once we've taken care of your wounds."

Mika struggled to stay awake. He no longer even knew where he was, or why he was there. All he knew was that he was poisoned, and falling asleep could mean his death. He clung desperately to consciousness, hearing the conversation being held by the people above him, but not comprehending it. Two more voices joined them in short order, and then two more, two smaller, shrieking voices, screaming his name.

Above them, a male voice, powerful, older than time, spoke spidery, nonsense words that commanded him to let go and sleep. Unable to resist the magical command, darkness crashed over Mika, and he knew no more.

* * *

_A/N: Hello, everyone! This might be the last chapter for a while... I'm trying to get caught up with other active projects. Don't worry, this one won't slip my mind. However, if you're enjoying it, please let me know! This is NOT a threat to withhold chapters (definitely not- I'm too stubborn to do that) but I could use some encouragement in general. Anyway, yeah. Chapters will be forthcoming as I finish them._


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you for the review, Anmynous! And thanks for the con. crit.- I didn't think about how big I was saying the spider was in relation to how much damage Mika took. I'll be on the look out for other such contradictions- thank you!_

* * *

Hours later, the group crowded into the chambers Mika had been taken to. The young swordsman laid absolutely still, his skin blanched to a deathly pallor. If his friends didn't know otherwise, they'd all swear the man was dead.

It was all Ganer could do to convince them that he wasn't. "My magic halted the poison," he insisted calmly. Eventually, the companions came to believe it; but all of them were acutely aware that he said nothing of the danger Mika was still in.

Ryu hadn't stopped wringing his hands since Mika had been moved. He felt responsible- no- he was responsible. If only he'd lost them in Dragnier-!

This was it. If Mika survived- and even if he didn't- Ryu was going to tell them the truth. This had to stop. They weren't protected. He knew damn well they weren't protected, and if Mika died, it was his fault. He wouldn't let any one of them be hurt because of his deception any long.

Now wasn't the time for this, though. Right now, Mika was in desperate danger, and he needed all of the attention they could spare. "Lord Ganer," Ryu said, fighting to keep the emotion and guilt and shame out of his voice. "I want to help. Please- how can I-?"

"Pray."

Ganer's voice was thick and grave, and left Ryu with no question as to just how close Mika was to death. He pressed a hand to his mouth as Ganer fixed his sightless gaze on him, sympathetic and pitying, for a moment longer, before turning his attention back to the Dark Dragon.

They were able to coax the children to sleep by telling them that Mika was getting rest, and that he'd be cross with them if they didn't do so as well. Neither of them believed that Mika was "resting" but both of them had the sense not to argue. Even Teepo. That gave Ryu a moment of respite from his guilt, as he considered the fact that his young cousin would accept a blatant lie without protest.

And then he remembered that they, too, were involved because of him and his lies. Otherwise, Teepo might still be as bullheaded and loud as he was when they'd started. If Mika survived and forgave him for almost getting the Dark Dragon killed- twice- Ryu was almost positive that Mika wouldn't forgive him for damaging his little brother like this. Ryu wasn't sure he could forgive himself.

The guilt intensified.

They all helped when they could. Ganer's magic was powerful, but his body was weak and tired quickly. They were trying to magically purify Mika's blood, which was the best they could do now that it had traveled through his body. It was obvious when it reached his heart, by the sudden struggle to keep him alive. It happened again when it reached his brain. After that crisis, though, Ganer told them wearily that the battle should be easier. It was a small miracle that Mika had survived both of those events, but now that he had, the venom would start cycling out through his body's natural processes. They could heal him faster with his body cooperating.

Ryu tried to stay awake through the night; he could not. It was very early in the morning when Ganer ordered him to sleep. Ryu heard the same note of power in his voice then as he had when Ganer put Mika to sleep, and resisted; he had little power against such ancient magic, though, and found himself unable to stay awake.

He woke once before the dawn, to the sound of voices. One of those voices… it sounded like Aldin! The Dragon prince struggled to force himself awake, but Ganer's spell held fast; Ryu slept once again.

The next time Ryu awoke, there were again two voices in the room. Ganer's, and Mika's. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, causing Ganer and Mika to pause in their conversation. "Oh, good morning," Ganer said, turning his head in Ryu's direction. "Mika's healed up nicely, as you can likely see."

"Yes, I can," Ryu replied. Indeed, color had returned to Mika's face. Although he looked dreadfully tired, he was alert and didn't seem to be in pain. "Gods, Mika, I- I'm so sorry-"

"For what?" Mika asked, shrugging. "I'm the fool who let that thing bite me. You didn't do anything wrong, Ryu."

"I doubted you."

"You cannot be blamed for your doubt," Ganer said soothingly. "Considering your position, it is completely understandable."

"Yeah. I mean… You're the Destined Child. People want to kill you," Mika said, in sympathy. "I wish it hadn't been him, though…"

Ryu looked away. He didn't think Ganer was talking about the same thing. "Yeah. I wasn't expecting the traitor to be a Light Dragon, let alone Aldin. I don't know if you were able to hear our discussion, Mika, but he said during the fight that he was following Myria for his own purposes; he's not truly loyal to her."

"That may be so," Mika replied, his eyes darkening. "He's still following her."

"Yes, of course… but perhaps it would be beneficial to find out _why_. If we can figure out why he's doing this, maybe we can discourage him from doing it."

Mika shook his head. "I strongly doubt that, Ryu. Even if we figured out why, he's a Dragon. If he turns on her, he's a dead man. He said that he wanted the Dragons to be wiped out. Even if we found out why, I'm not helping him with that. In order to get what he wants, regardless of why he wants it, he's got to follow her."

Ryu heaved a sigh. "You're right, of course. I'm sorry. I know even thinking about him-"

"I'm used to it," Mika cut him off dryly, brooding. "And on that note, we better rest, if we can. At least I should. We're behind schedule now. I have to go take that test as soon as I'm able to."

"Wh-what?" Ryu stuttered. "You can't honestly think I'm going to let you take the test after what you've just been through! Mika, you can't! You're too weak!"

"That's why I need to rest, you goofball," Mika replied affectionately.

"No."

"Well, we'll discuss it with everyone in the morning. Ganer tells me he had to spell you all to sleep last night; after that fight, you probably need more rest than you've gotten. Sleep well, Ryu."

"But-"

Mika was already lying back down, and Ganer smiled. "Sleep well, Destined Child," Ganer repeated Mika's words, firmly, as he stood. "I require rest as well. My Lady Death does not give up those she's claimed very easily. It was a dreadful battle, and I am as exhausted as you. Please rest, Ryu. There's little else for you to do at the moment."

Ryu sighed heavily, but that was his only protest. Ganer was right. There was nothing more that could be done at this moment. Ryu put his head down, trying to quiet his mind for long enough to allow him to get some rest.

* * *

Mirielle stood with the young human cleric called Alexandre, going over their new game plan. The High Priestess was utterly exhausted, Alex noted grimly. When they reached a break in their conversation, Alex said, "My Lady, perhaps you should go back to Dragnier City. You've done as much as you can, personally."

The Draconic priestess smiled sadly, the wistful smile of one in more than one kind of pain. She missed her children. That was something Alex shouldn't have known. He longed to comfort her, let her know that he was confident that sending them with the Dark Dragon youth was the best course of action.

But he could not.

"I can't leave," Mirielle replied, taking no disrespect from his suggestion. "I'll be leaving all of the girls from my temple here."

Alex was loathe to do this. He had foreknowledge that a normal human acolyte should not have. Speaking frankly now would bring unwanted attention to him, possibly single him out as a heretic- or, worse, a true prophet.

But he also realized, as he gazed at the Dragoness, the most beloved of all of Ladon's followers, that changing his form hadn't lessened his love. If anything, it intensified it. It was an interesting sensation; Alex decided that he quite had to take a human form again, later, when he could fully enjoy it. For now, though… could he simply allow to happen what he knew was going to happen?

No. "Mirielle," he said, lowering his voice and stepping closer. "You _have to_ leave. Please."

At first, her blue eyes widened in surprise. And then they narrowed in suspicion; she felt the magical command he'd tried to impose on her. "Brother Alexandre," she said, her tone firm but not hostile, "I'm quite curious to know why you are so… _adamant_ about this."

The accusation of overstepping his authority, of insubordination, was in her voice and her eyes. He made a mental note that he'd get caught trying to use the empathy that was innate in all Dragons and not to do it again. In the meantime, he had no choice but to play the prophet card. "I've… had a vision," he said haltingly, trying to work out how he wanted to phrase this to raise the least suspicion. He hoped it came across as inexperienced hesitance. "I think it was from our Lord Ladon; if it's true, you're in grave danger here, Priestess. Someone wants to hurt you. I- I'm afraid that if you stay, you'll-"

Her gaze softened and she interrupted him. "You needn't worry about me, Alex," she said. "What our God has planned for me is what he has planned for me."

_But your God is telling you to run from it!_ "That's… not what Ladon teaches, though," Alex replied instead, knowing damn well that now he was being insubordinate. If only she knew who he was-!

But instead of becoming upset with him, she smiled. "I know. The Destined Cycles are not Ladon's creation; they are Myria's. But tell me, Brother Alex… If I escape him now, where will I go?"

Alex was stunned into silence. How did she- "Yes, I know. My husband has designs on my life." Mirielle looked away. "I know also where he's been the last three nights. He's failed, Alex. He's desperate. He isn't thinking. Give a frantic man enough rope and eventually he'll hang himself." She looked back at Alex, peaceful. "He'll do this thing to me, and it will be his undoing. I'm alright with it."

The young cleric shook his head. "No. Mirielle- we need you. I-"

"You don't need any of us, Alexandre." He could see from the look in her eyes that she knew. She'd figured out who he was. How did she? "But I am grateful to you… That you've chosen to spend this time with me. I'm honored."

"If you know who I am," Alex replied in a low voice, "then obey me. Run. Please, Mirielle. This isn't what I want to happen."

She tilted her head in curiosity. "Welcome to mortal life," she said in a playful tone. "I'm sure this isn't the first situation that has happened that you didn't want, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

"Mirielle-"

"I won't abandon the people here. They need me."

Alex regarded her gravely. "You are, of course, free to do as you wish," he said softly. "I'm just an acolyte who seems to be having prophetic dreams. I've been far overstepping my boundaries in talking to you as familiarly as I have. But don't think I'm not going to try to stop it myself."

Mirielle smiled even more broadly at him. "I won't get in your way if that's what you want to do… I'll be praying for your success."

"So you _don't_ want this to happen."

The High Priestess took a long, hard look at him, as if memorizing his features. "We better get back to work," she said finally, as she turned away. "People may be dying as we speak."

"Yes… Yes, of course. My apologies."

He followed her as she made her way out of church, back onto the street… back into death. As they stepped into the hot, arid air of the city, Alex's gaze turned skyward. He could try to stop it, but there wasn't much he could do. They needed the Dark Dragon to return. "Please hurry…"

* * *

When the Ryu awoke again, Mika was already dressed, in his armor, and practicing his swordplay. Ganer sat on the edge of the garden Mika was practicing in, next to Kirin, who watched the Dark Dragon and narrated his moves to Ganer. If Ryu knew his cousin, that was annoying the heck out of him.

Ryu approached the two sitting on the stone bench. "He's seriously going to do take this test, isn't he?"

"That is his intention, yes," Ganer replied serenely. "He's as determined as ever to help you now. The only way for him to do that is to become a Paladin of Ladon."

Ryu's gaze went back to Mika; the Dark Dragon glanced at him, but didn't pause his exercises. "Is he well enough to do this?" he asked bleakly. "I mean- he's almost died twice now. And this test isn't going to be easy, no matter who takes it."

"He is well enough to do it," Ganer replied. "He has no choice. This is the only path open to you. Have a little faith in him for once, Your Highness. Mika is well aware of what he's doing."

_You liar_, Ryu wanted to snap at him. He couldn't. He had to keep up the façade. Ganer might be well aware of what was going on, but Kirin was utterly blind to it. Didn't he say before that he was going to tell them the truth now? But he couldn't do it. He didn't want to take them down with him, but neither did he want to die alone.

How utterly selfish…

"Don't worry about me," Mika finally said, reaching the end of his routine. He smiled at his cousin, confident and high-spirited. "I'm fine. That old man there is an incredible healer. I think I feel better than I did before that damn spider bit me."

Kirin's tail stopped flicking; her ears drooped down slightly. She'd been silent through Ryu's short conversation with Ganer, but something about that upset her. Ryu thought he knew what it was. "Mika… are you sure? I mean, what you've just been through is-"

The Dark Dragon waved Ryu's concern away. "I'm fine. Really. That just proved to me what I've known my whole life. He did me a favor by abandoning me. I'm better off."

He was trying so hard to convince himself of that. Ryu saw through it. He knew his cousin too well to believe that. Mika was in a horrible pain right now, and it wasn't from the spider's venom.

Ryu's concern showed on his face; Mika shrugged nonchalantly, sheathed his sword, and informed them that he was going to get some breakfast. "I think he wants to die," Kirin said softly. "He's not okay to take that test, and he knows it. He's looking for a way to kill himself that won't be seen as suicide."

"Over Aldin? No," Ryu denied, knowing that she was right.

"He won't die," Ganer said firmly. "He is protected, after all. And there are those whom he wishes to protect- and those who wish to protect him." Ganer's blind eyes turned directly to Kirin, whose ears dropped flat against her head, and her tail drooped.

Ryu raised an eyebrow at her body language. He remembered their meeting, then, and hid a smile. It appeared that Kirin had come to care about her mark. That knowledge provided a little distraction from Ryu's turmoil, but not much. Ganer knew damn well Mika wasn't protected, so why…

… perhaps things had shifted. Perhaps he _was_ the Destined Child now.

Perhaps he could win.

The inner turmoil calmed. "Lord Ganer," he said quietly, "if I can't convince him not to go, tell me what I can do to help him."

"Accompany him," Ganer replied. "The tower is a few hour's journey from here on foot. He will be lonely otherwise, to say nothing of the monsters he will encounter. How well he does depends entirely on how tired he is when he begins. Protect him, Prince Ryu."

Ryu nodded in acknowledgement. "I intend to," he said passionately.

* * *

The journey wasn't nearly as perilous as Ganer implied it would be. The group- including the children, as they refused to be left behind and Mika preferred that he know where they are than leave them to their own devices- made camp shortly before sunset.

No one spoke as they ate and rested, and then Mika prepared to go. It was night by the time he was ready; Gaist insisted on stoking their campfire high. "We don't have anything to fear from the guardians," he said confidently. "They're likely trying to figure out what the devil Aldin was doing; his identity has surely been revealed by his little stunt back at the monastery. And even so, they're probably assuming Mika will fail. They'll wait until we get confirmation, and then demand our surrender, if they're watching us."

"And if I succeed?" Mika asked him blandly.

Gaist shrugged. "It won't matter at that point. They'll withdraw."

"Why?"

A ghost of a smile crossed the gargoyle-like man's face. "I'm still loyal to Myria, Dark Dragon."

"Hmph." Mika stuck his nose in the air and checked his armor and sword once more. Gaist's grin turned to a smirk. Arrogant little…

"You know," Kirin said thoughtfully, "I still don't get it, Mr. Guardian."

"What don't you get?"

"You just said that you're loyal to Myria. You do know that the Destineds' purpose is to kill her, right?"

"To destroy her current incarnation, but close enough, yes."

"So why are you helping us?"

Gaist shifted, tossed a log onto the fire. "It is as I said when I joined your group," he replied. "You're children; I do not mean that as an insult, but as a fact. You are. The Dragons, especially, are but pups. They may have reached the point of human adolescence but they are both less than fifty years old. Do you know how old that is in Draconic years?" Kirin shook her head, and Gaist raised two clawed fingers.

Her jaw dropped. "_Two_?"

"Indeed. And that is at fifty. I'll allow you to figure out their Draconic ages, as they're both less than half that. Imagine now my chagrin at being ordered to kill two Dragon children of less than ten years, if I find killing two young men distasteful enough to balk."

"But you and your fellows have already killed hundreds of Dragon children," Mika said, a touch of hostility in his voice. "To say nothing of all the children who aren't Dragons."

"Be fair, Dark Dragon. I can't refute your first statement- it's true. But we've tried to keep the death toll for other races at a minimum and avoid their children completely."

"Do you want a medal or something? That doesn't make it okay!"

"I know it doesn't. The question was why I was helping you, after all." Suddenly, Mika looked terribly embarrassed and Gaist chuckled ruefully. "Don't feel too badly, please. I don't deserve it. I've had these questions since we were chosen and ordered to eliminate the Dragons. Despite the fact that we've never gotten an answer- and I asked quite bluntly- I obeyed until now." He heaved a sigh that seemed to come up from the tips of the claws on his toes.

Mika sat down across from Gaist. "I guess I can kinda get how you feel," he said, voice halting and grudging. "I've done my share of questioning Ladon."

Gaist set him with a stern eye. "You best be over that, kid. If you're not, that test will tear you to pieces."

"I'm pretty much over it," Mika replied smoothly. "It was questioning why I was alive, actually… But I guess I know now." The Dark Dragon grinned, setting his gaze on his cousin. Ryu returned it uneasily, and looked away.

Nina put a hand on his arm; the two sat closely next to each other, next to Gaist. "You don't still think…"

"Of course I don't," Ryu interrupted her. "I feel like a bloody fool for even considering it in the first place. It's just… It's frustrating, knowing that people you love are suffering for your sake."

"Maybe, but there's not much any of us can do about it," Mika remarked, cavalier.

Kirin's tail stopped swishing as she listened to the conversation, arms wrapped around knees against her chest, chin resting on her legs. At Mika's last comment, her ears drooped, and she frowned, worried about him. He was scared. He was trying to hide it, but he was utterly terrified and Kirin wondered why their companions couldn't see that.

Her gaze turned to the sleeping Dragon cubs, Mika's little brothers, and realized why. They needed him and after all they'd been through, he was trying to be strong for them. That was probably why the rest of them were playing along with Mika's insistence on pretending this wasn't a big deal.

That's when she decided. Someone had to go help that proud fool through this. No one ever said he was the only one who could go, right?

The group saw Mika off immediately after they'd finished with their meal and discussing their plans, as determined by Mika's success or failure. If he succeeded, they'd travel back to Caer Xhan to get the rest of the information they needed from that young human acolyte, Alex. If he failed…

"If I fail, go back to Dragnier and report it to the King," Mika said firmly. "If I fail this test, it means I've died. He needs to know that there's a real chance you'll fail the Destined Cycle altogether."

"A little self-important there, aren't you, Mika?" Gaist rumbled.

Mika miffed at him, although his attitude about Gaist wasn't nearly as hostile as it had been before. "I'm Destined. We're not supposed to be able to be killed by anyone or anything but Myria herself. If I die, either I'm not Destined- which at this point isn't an option, in my opinion- or we've failed already. If that's happened, the rest of you are going to die anyway, so there's no point in not trying, but the King might have other ideas about that line of thought."

Ryu swallowed hard and looked a little to Mika like he had already decided Mika was a dead man. He'd show him… "Please reconsider this," his older cousin pleaded. "We can go back to Caer Xhan and keep looking for an alternative. You're still weak from that fight. You _did_ almost die! I don't want you to-!"

Mika shook his head. "I'm fine, Ryu. I promise. Just you wait- I'll be in and out of there by daybreak, and we'll be on our way back to Caer Xhan to get the rest of the information we need. Trust me."

At those two words, Ryu felt paralyzed. It wasn't a matter of trust anymore! At least not on his part… He trusted his companions completely. He had to. But their trust in him was completely misguided… "Alright. I'll hold you to that, Mika. You better succeed. I will make you miserable for eternity if you get yourself killed."

His cousin's cocky grin broadened. "And that's really all the motivation I need. I'm off. See you all at dawn."

The party all said their goodbyes and watched as Mika disappeared into the tower; Ganer had told them that he would ascend it, facing progressively more dreadful and dangerous tests as he went. Although they started off easy enough, any one of them could kill someone who wasn't worthy of Ladon's blessings. They settled down once again once he was inside, and started discussing their next steps when Mika succeeded. The children were settled down to sleep, so they spoke quietly, trying to figure out a way to get them somewhere safe and get them to stay put. They determined how much money they had between all of them; Ganer promised to give them more provisions, but food wouldn't ensure them shelter.

All of them were accustomed to camping by now, but none of them wanted to continue to expose the children if it could be helped. That meant actually getting rooms at inns when they were in a town or village, and not just camping out. "I strongly doubt that we're going to come across many towns that we'd be welcome at, at this point," Nina said glumly. "Caer Xhan is a no-go because of Aldin. There's Kombinat, but we're not going anywhere near there. Urkan Tapa is out for obvious reasons, and so is Rhaphala. Wyndia, too. Who knows if Dauna is still occupied, and that's our destination, right? Might as well just focus on getting stuff to make the kids as comfortable as we can, instead of worrying about inns."

"Unfortunately, I think the Princess is right," Gaist rumbled. "Perhaps if we went back the way you came, we could stay with Kirin's village again. Would they allow me to be there, though, Kirin?" He looked around their party; she wasn't where she'd sat down initially, but she wasn't anywhere else in the circle of the fire's light.

As Gaist started turning this way and that, and rose to his feet, Ryu said, in a confused and upset voice, "Kirin? Where did she-"

He didn't finish his sentence as the three of them turned towards the tower. "She _didn't_," Gaist said, exasperated and worried.

"No, she probably did," Nina replied dryly, with a heavy sigh.

"Great," was Ryu's contribution. "At least he has no excuse to fail now."


	15. Chapter 15

The tower was absolutely silent, aside from Mika's footsteps and breath. It was beginning to get to him; he was doing nothing but walking down a straight, seemingly unending corridor. All of the surfaces around him appeared exactly the same; polished black granite under foot, polished black granite to his left, polished black granite to his right, polished black granite above his head.

The Dark Dragon turned, more than once, to make sure there was no polished black granite behind him. The moment he did so, he heard a sound from the direction he had been walking, and whipped around, facing front and snapping his sword out of its scabbard. He watched and listened intensely as the sound repeated behind him. Mika turned once more, heard the sound again at his back, and cried out, "Not fair!"

His voice echoed in the corridor; his breath grew ragged with adrenaline and fear. Mika no longer knew which direction was the one he had been walking in. Again, the sound rang in the hallway, and this time, Mika identified it: footsteps.

He pressed his back to one of the walls, getting the strange feeling that he could've already been on the floor and he'd not know. Mika did his best to put that thought out of his mind and focus on calming his breath and stilling his hands. He couldn't afford to let the situation get to him. He was disoriented already; that was bad enough without being stalked by something. He needed to stay calm.

After a moment, he heard the footsteps again. They were steady this time, their echo growing louder with every second. Soon it filled his ears and resounded in his head, and he felt his control slipping away to fear again. His stalker was close. Wasn't he warned that the tests to become a Paladin of Ladon were deadly? Mika's muscles tensed and knotted, and he strained to maintain control over himself. Yes, they were deadly, that was why he couldn't give into the impulse to attack blindly! He needed to see his enemy before he struck. He needed to judge what attack would be the most effective. He could not lose his cool!

The footsteps came closer still, and Mika went from near hyperventilation to holding his breath. He still could not see who was approaching him! Why? From the sound they were virtually on top of him! "Identify yourself!" Mika called out, his voice terse and rough and desperate.

"Mika?" came the response from somewhere in the dark corridor.

Mika groaned loudly. "Kirin! Where are you?"

"I don't know!" she cried back. Her voice echoed all around him like her footsteps had. "It sounds like you're right in front of me!"

Her voice was close, almost right in his ears. _A trap_, was Mika's next thought, but it was panicked. He took one deep breath, two, and then replied. "I'm going to reach out to you," he said calmly. "You do the same- reach for the sound of my voice."

Mika reached out as he spoke, his fingers searching. He started and almost yanked away when his hand met another in thin air; the other hand jumped as the owner was experiencing the same reflex, and then he grabbed it, closing his fingers around the other unseen hand tightly, and pulling it towards him.

At first, the owner of the other hand resisted, and Mika shifted his grip on his sword hilt to strike swiftly, if he needed to. Then the resistance stopped, and Mika pulled again. Kirin entered his vision, finally, when she was practically on top of him, the claws of both her hands fully extended. The two stared at each other, tense and mistrusting and ready to attack.

The Dark Dragon relaxed in the next moment. "So… all the black granite got to you, too."

"It's so creepy in here, Mika."

"That's part of the point, I think," Mika said, glancing around nervously. "Deadly tests indeed… I could have killed you, Kirin. You need to go back."

The Woren shook her head forcefully. "No, I don't. I need to stay here and help you."

Mika frowned sharply at her. "I didn't ask you to help me! Did you hear what I said? I could have killed you! I don't know what else is in here- you're going to go back!"

"I heard you just fine!" Kirin snapped back, "and I said no!"

"_Go back!_"

"Make me!"

Mika sheathed his sword and roughly grabbed Kirin by the arm, turning around, trying to figure out which direction was out. Kirin was as appalled as he to discover that the black granite now surrounded them on three sides: there was only one direction they could go. "Well," Kirin said nervously. "I suppose now if that leads out, I know that I'm really persona non grata in here."

"It's not the way out," Mika said, his voice shaking slightly, absolutely sure of that fact. She was stuck here. Another Destined was stuck in this tower with him, facing these deadly tests. "That was the first test," he said, trying to keep his tone conversational, as they started walking together. "Deadly tests… Either one of us, if we did not trust the other, could have died back there, murdered by each other. For better or worse, Ladon's decided that you're taking this test with me."

Kirin walked beside him, listening to what he said, and remaining silent after, until they came to a spiraling staircase. Mika craned his neck, trying to see where it led; it seemed to go on forever. "Well, it's the only place we can go," he said sullenly. "First mind games, now stairs. Tons and tons of stairs."

"Mika," Kirin said, stopping the man as he stepped onto the bottom step. "Wait. We need to think. You're right- I was ready to kill you to defend myself, if I had to. This is probably going to be just as dangerous as the first test, if not more. Let's try to figure out what the test _is_ first."

Mika stepped back down, seeing the wisdom in Kirin's suggestion, and both swordsman and Woren's heads snapped to attention at a quiet rumbling noise, and they watched impassively as the step Mika had been on crumbled into nothing. They looked at each other then. "Well," he said. "I guess we just figured out what this test is."

Kirin peered up the staircase. It looked completely solid, but she couldn't see the end of it. Around and around it spiraled, so far up that simply looking made her dizzy. "It doesn't look so big from outside," she said, a note of hopelessness in her voice, as her ears pressed flat against her head.

"That's because it's not," Mika answered. "It's an enchantment, like that granite corridor."

"So if we can't keep up, we'll be okay?"

"No. We'll fall. Deadly, remember?"

The Woren gulped. "Well… no place to go now but up."

"Right. We have to coordinate our steps. If one of us gets ahead of the other, they're dead."

"Right. Well?"

"Well. One. Two. Three!"

At three, both warriors stepped on the next stair up. And then the next; as they moved, the stairs crumbled behind them. It seemed that they wouldn't fall away until a foot was removed, so the pair moved slowly, getting a rhythm between the two of them. As they became more confident, their pace increased. "This isn't so bad," Kirin observed smugly.

Her voice distracted Mika momentarily, and he failed to lift his foot off the step when Kirin did. The stair crumbled and Mika yelped; Kirin reached back and grabbed him, as the step they were on started to tremble. "Hurry!" Kirin yelled, feeling it begin to give out beneath her feet.

Mika struggled to regain his footing and the pair stepped to the next stair, barely getting off of the one lower before it collapsed. In the next second, the step began to tremble again, and Mika yanked on Kirin. "Come on!" he said. "It's going to collapse no matter what!"

"But we didn't move!" she protested as they ascended; they were now struggling to keep up with the falling stairs.

Between the fear of falling and their sudden quicker pace, Mika was winded. "It doesn't matter. It'll go as fast as we do. We need to keep our pace now! Don't go any faster!"

Kirin nodded and stumbled up the stairs, panting. Her legs felt like they were on fire and her muscles had become lead; her breath was coming in short, frantic gasps. She couldn't take much more of this.

Just as she was positive she would collapse if they didn't reach the top of the staircase, they did. The pair took a final step and tumbled onto solid floor as the final stair in the spiral staircase fell away from them. They lay there, panting and shaking from the ordeal.

Mika caught his breath in great gulps, and then held it, not daring to move, simply feeling the floor beneath them. It felt solid, did not tremble or vibrate, and Mika drew himself up to his knees, exhaling the breath he'd been holding. "Are you alright, Kirin?"

"Yeah. You? Your voice is shaking."

"I'm fine." Mika's voice was indeed shaking, and cracked at his words. He swallowed and stumbled to his feet; _he_ was shaking. "Come on," he said. "We don't know if this platform is going to hold out."

"I don't see where we're supposed to go," Kirin replied as she pulled herself up as well. Her ears were flat against her head and she didn't even have the will to hold up her tail.

Mika looked around them as well, quickly seeing what she meant. They were at the top of the tower, it seemed; the domed ceiling seemed so far and yet almost close enough to touch. The floor they were on was decorative, with bands of colored stones circling the center. Other than the fact that center was black granite and made Mika want to groan in dismay, it was otherwise unremarkable. They were surrounded on all sides by a circular wall, except the side that the stairs had previously led to. "It's funny," Mika commented, starting to stroll around the room. "We went from a perfectly square corridor to a perfectly cylindrical tower."

"Putting a round peg in a square hole," Kirin murmured.

"This seems to be an entirely different shape than it looked from the outside," Mika remarked. "Maybe there's another set of stairs on the opposite wall that we need to expose. That would certainly…"

"No, I don't think so," Kirin contradicted him. "That granite corridor was enchanted somehow. It only makes sense that it wouldn't appear to us outside, otherwise the first test will be spoiled."

The Dark Dragon circled the room, feeling the wall as he walked. "Completely smooth," he said as Kirin started to cross the room to join him. "I don't- Kirin?"

Suddenly, as Kirin stepped foot on the black granite in the center of the room, the Woren girl disappeared. Mika cried her name again, and dashed for the spot she had disappeared; the moment his foot hit the granite, he felt as thought he was being ripped apart. The pain was overwhelming, but it lasted only a moment, before Mika was on his knees, gasping for breath, in the middle of a glade.

The air around him was warm and comforting; sunlight filtered through the lush, green foliage of the trees above him. Birds chirped sweet music all around him, and the air was fresh. He breathed deeply, looking about. He wasn't held there; there were several paths leading out from where he stood.

A twig snapped, the sound coming from the direction of one of the northern paths. Mika spun and snapped his sword out of its scabbard reflexively, still on-edge from the previous ordeals. He relaxed, but only slightly, as his stalker approached, hands up. "I am no threat to you, warrior," the intruder said. The youth's voice was light and melodic, as sweet as the sounds of the birds above them. She smiled as he relaxed, but only slightly. "I assure you, sir, if I had wished to ensorcel you, I would have done so before you ever saw me."

He believed the girl, and lowered his sword, yet didn't lose his protective stance. She laughed merrily. "Oh, I forget myself. You are here to become a Paladin in the service of Ladon, are you not? You're on edge from the other tests. Relax, please. This is a resting place. You're in no danger from the tests here. You've passed three of them already. Be aware that the rest won't nearly be so easy… or kind."

Mika glanced around again, still tense and self-defensive. "And if I don't believe you?"

"Then you don't believe me," she replied serenely. "It's your choice. I don't blame you, but you should know that I'm telling the truth here. No harm will befall you so long as you remain here."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Mina Wyndia," she replied proudly. "I am the avatar of the Great Bird, and ancestor of the modern Wyndian family. Right now I'm in Ladon's service, repaying a debt to him."

That got Mika to relax, even if it was from surprise. "The Great Bird, having a debt to the Dragon God?"

Mina shook her head. "I'm not the Great Bird, sir. I'm just her vessel. She manifests through me, but we are two different beings. As for _my_ debt to Ladon, he is the one responsible for my form as you see it now. He helped me change back into a human form, ages ago. I was trapped in the form of the Great Bird, you see, due to the curse on the Feyish clan."

"The Curse of the Wing," Mika murmured, lowering his sword further.

"Correct," Mina confirmed. "My sister- and I, although we didn't know it at the time- were the culmination of that curse. Dragons were also caught within the curse, although the Dragons managed to free themselves before it could permanently strip them of their powers. The way my sister and I were treated determined how the curse played out. If we were treated equally, with equal love and care, then our clan would be freed."

"But you weren't," Mika said. "You were favored over your sister."

"Greatly. The Great Bird gave us a respite when I sacrificed myself for Nina's sake, but we were forsaken when Wyndia drove out three of my nieces and nephews, because the youngest had his Wing day when his older siblings were wingless."

"Is that why so few of the Fey clan have wings now?" Mika asked, wide-eyed.

"Indeed, if any have wings at all." Mina absently walked over to the stream babbling through the glade as she talked. "The women of the Wyndian royal family might have wings, although they will be weak and thin, unable to even lift her body off the ground, let alone achieve flight."

"Why only the women?"

Mina flashed him a grin. "When a Prince becomes Destined," she answered playfully, "then maybe he will have wings. Until then, his magic won't be nearly strong enough to manifest his Feyish powers."

"I… see. Kind of like how the Destined Child has always had the ability to use his Draconic powers, no matter how diluted his blood is," Mika mused, watching Mina curiously. He sheathed his sword, finally. "This is fascinating, of course, but back to the topic at hand: you said I've passed three tests. I can only count two."

Mina grinned. "The first was that you didn't kill your companion in the granite passageway," she told him. "The second was the falling staircase. And the third was how quickly you went after your companion once she disappeared."

So Mika needed a second person to take these tests with him. He was lucky Kirin followed him after all. "Where is my companion?" he asked next.

"Waiting for you to rescue her, of course."

Mika made a face. "How passé."

His cynicism was met with a bright, hearty laugh. "You've shown restraint, teamwork, and a concern for your fellow beings. You'll show strength, courage, and humility before the day is out, as well, and before you see your friend again."

"And if I fail?" Mika asked, already knowing the answer but hoping he was wrong.

Mina's smile turned tight and grim. "Kirin dies."

Mika shook his head, looking away from her. "And what if Kirin hadn't followed me?" he demanded harshly. "I came alone and when I discovered her here I tried to make her leave. We never intended for Kirin to have any part of this!"

"I understand that, sir, but she's here and she's a part of it."

"I'm not willing to risk her life."

The winged youth moved around him so that she was facing him once more. "Mika," she said quietly. "Aren't you one of the Destined?"

The question took him by surprise. "Well, yes. What does that have to do with it?"

"Everything. It has everything to do with it. You're not willing to risk one individual's life on your strength, but you're willing to risk the world." Mina narrowed her eyes at him. "That's an awfully selfish stance to take, isn't it?"

He grimaced. "I didn't think about it that way."

"Maybe you ought to leave. Say the word and I can send you both back to your encampment. If you believe that you're not strong enough to pass these tests, then what's the point in risking both of your lives?"

Mina's tone had turned cold and hard, pitiless and unkind, and the thought of turning around was a tempting one. He'd already freaked out and nearly fallen to his death. Now he was being told that Kirin's life hung in the balance if he didn't pass these tests. "I agreed to risk myself," he replied, just as harshly. "I didn't agree to risk Kirin. Send her back!"

"No. You both stay, or you both go. Think carefully, Mika- her blood will be on your hands if you fail. You don't want that, do you?"

"I…"

"Answer me. Now. It's almost time for your next test, Mika. You will leave here at the appointed time, on your own or against your will, but you will go. _Answer me_."

"I- but I- wait, I have a time limit here? Why didn't you tell me that before?"

Mina laughed merrily, her severe expression and tone breaking. "Nice deflection, but I still need you to choose. Continue, or leave. If you leave, you cannot come back. If you continue, both yours and Kirin's lives hang on your actions here. Are you strong enough to face these challenges, Mika? Decide. Now." Just as her tone was beginning to shift back to the hard, unforgiving voice that he'd unwittingly dissipated before, it took on an anxious quality. "Really, sir, you have to decide. The default is to send you back."

"I'm staying!" Mika said quickly, as loudly as he could without shouting. He couldn't let her send him back! Then, quieter, he repeated himself: "I'm staying. I have to be strong enough to do this. If I can't save Kirin, how can I save anyone? I will do this. I have to."

She smiled at him. "Excellent. Congratulations, Mika. You've passed the fourth test."

He raised an eyebrow at this statement. "What? How? I thought you said that the fourth test was a test of my strength."

"And it was."

"But I didn't-"

"Thanks to the Creators that you're not going to have your intelligence tested," Mina cut him off in a dry voice. "Listen closely: in a few moments, you're going to be taken from here. You better be prepared to defend yourself. I cannot tell you what awaits you but I can give you this advice: remember that your life is linked to Kirin's. If you die, she does. But the inverse is not true. This is of the utmost importance, Mika. Remember it!"

That was pretty straight-forward: Mina meant that if Kirin died, Mika could still survive. But what difference would that make, if they were both Destined? Letting Kirin die would result in the failure of the Destined Cycle! As Mika opened his mouth to ask Mina for clarification on that point, a circle of light surrounded the Dark Dragon, and he felt as thought he was being picked up and then torn apart. His inquiry became a scream, more out of surprise than pain.

The pain only stayed with him for a moment; it was replaced with the sensation of being squished, and then that too disappeared, leaving him breathless and disoriented. He turned around several times; it would appear that he was back at the bottom of the crumbling staircase, although the stairs were there again. It may have been an entirely different area; he couldn't tell, but that accursed black granite surrounded him again.

He held his sword at ready, going back over what Mina told him. He needed to be prepared to defend himself, and the next test was courage. Mika was already second-guessing his decision to proceed with this test; there was no exit but the stairs, and the requirement that he defend himself rang through his head. That meant fighting, but surely they didn't expect him to fight on a set of crumbling stairs!

Mika started as there was a loud _crack_, and then a grinding noise directly behind him. He whirled, eyes widening in horror as he watched as the black granite wall behind him slowly moved towards him, herding him to the stairs. Gritting his teeth, he took the hint and bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He was relieved to find they didn't crumble beneath him like last time, but he didn't know if that wall was going to stop once it reached the bottom of the staircase, and he wanted as much space between the wall and him as possible.

As the first hint of growling from the stairs above him rang out, Mika grit his teeth and prepared himself. It looked like they intended him to fight on the stairs after all.


	16. Chapter 16

Kirin was someplace dark and cold. It was frightening, more frightening than anything she'd ever experienced. She tried to turn around, looking for a way out or a point of light, only to discover that she couldn't move.

A feral yowl escaped her, screaming in terror. She tried to calm herself down; she wasn't dead. She couldn't be. Kirin didn't know how she knew that, but she did. She just knew that she wasn't dead. After she calmed her breathing down, she struggled to clear her mind. How could she be dead if she could make herself lightheaded by hyperventilating?

That determined, Kirin called out, her voice quite shamelessly shaking. "H-hello? Is there anyone out there?"

_Yes_, came an almost immediate response. The voice was feminine, light and melodic, and Kirin didn't have time to ponder why it did not respond when she screamed in terror. _My name is Mina Wyndia, of the Fey Clan. Do not be afraid; you are in no danger, as long as your companion lives. _

"My companion? Mika?"

_Yes._

"Wh… where am I?"

_You are somewhere safe. His goal is to rescue you from your position; I cannot tell you what that position is, in case you have some way of communicating with him. I don't think you do, but if I'm wrong and you interfere with him, I'll have to kill you both. I don't want to do that. _

The disembodied voice was apologetic at the last, and its words made Kirin panic. "I don't have any way to communicate with him!" she said, loud and scared. "I don't even know where he is!"

_Please calm down, Miss Kirin… you're safe where you are. I swear it, and I'm not telling you solely to protect you. I don't want anyone to die. _

Now her voice was sorrowful, but it was earnest, and Kirin tried to force herself to calm down. "Okay. Okay, you're protecting me. If I do anything to interfere with Mika's goal, we both die. As long as he's alive, I'm okay. Is that right?"

_Almost. If he fails to rescue you, you will die._

She cursed in her tribe's language. "Okay, so is there any way for me to save myself, or is this damsel in distress joke going to be played straight?" she demanded angrily.

The voice sighed heavily, and replied, _There is no way for you to save yourself, no. However, I believe in him. You did, as well, or you would not be here. You followed him into the tower of your own accord, Miss Kirin. You wished to help him become a Paladin; you trusted him enough not to attack him in the granite hall, and enough to take the crumbling stairs with him without hesitation. Trust him enough to save you now. After all… if he can't save a single friend, how can he save the world?_

Kirin bit her lip, and didn't reply. There was nothing she could do about this situation; Mina was right. She'd followed Mika in here of her own accord, and if he didn't pass these tests, he couldn't become a Paladin and they were stuck. All she could do was trust him now.

* * *

Mika leaned against the wall, panting. He stood on the second-to-last stair of the staircase, every muscle in his body screaming in agony. His hair and body were soaked in sweat and he held his sword limply at his side. He wasn't sure he could pass whatever test was next. He was exhausted and wounded, and didn't have the energy to heal himself. He barely had the strength to hold himself upright.

If he was to be faced with another fight, he was done for. He couldn't defend himself anymore. He couldn't defend anyone.

A sob of despair escaped the wounded Dragon before he got a hold of himself. He wasn't the only one who was in serious jeopardy now. Kirin was as well. Even if he wasn't Destined, he had an obligation to get her out of this alive. She was here because of him, after all.

It didn't help that the thought of the Woren woman dying left Mika feeling sick to his stomach and unable to catch his breath. It was a powerful reaction, and he didn't want to discover how intense it would be if she actually died, as opposed to him merely considering the possibility.

He took several deep breaths, trying to steady himself. Mika needed to do this. Once he had caught his breath, he ascended the last step and went through the doorway, sword at ready.

Mika lowered it in surprise as he looked around. The scenery had abruptly changed again, as it had when he met Mina. This time, however, there was nothing comforting about the environment he was confronted with: he was back in Dauna Mine, in the room they had found the hidden doorway in.

Moving slowly, he circled the room, watching the shadows intently for any sign of movement. Satisfied that Mika was alone, he went to the hidden door and put his hand on it. This door was the whole reason he was here; at least, according to that acolyte of Ladon. Only a Paladin would be able to undo the seal here, and allow them to proceed into Obelisk.

It would allow them to proceed to Myria.

He turned away after several moments, looking around the mine again. What the hell was he supposed to do in here? He didn't think it was a coincidence that the enchantment led him here. "A little guidance would be nice!" he called. When only his own voice's echo answered him, he tried a little louder, "Mina!"

_Sorry, Sir_, was her apologetic response. _You have to do this yourself. No one can help you in any way_.

"But I don't know what to do!"

_That's unfortunate._

And then silence descended again. He cried her name again, but she didn't reply. If he wasn't already so exhausted, he would have screamed in frustration and attacked the door for the audacity it was showing by existing. Instead, he took a step back and stared at it, hard, willing it to open.

Searing pain lanced through his left hand; Mika gasped and dropped his sword as he instinctively grasped at it with his right. He tore off his glove to see what was causing such a terrible pain, and gasped in wonder as light blinded him the moment it was off. He blinked the stars away from his vision as the pain rapidly receded, leaving only a vague, slightly throbbing ache on the back of his hand. Once he could see clearly again, he held it up; there, etched in silver light, was Ladon's Cross, glowing slightly.

But the glow was red. He wasn't a Paladin, but the situation had changed. He had to attempt to open the door again. Mika stepped forward and placed his left hand against the wall where the hidden door was. The mine began shaking and the outline of the door cracking as it moved away from the wall, opening the path into Obelisk. Without hesitation, Mika ran into the newly created corridor.

He knew, the moment he stepped foot beyond the threshold, that he wasn't actually in Obelisk, but rather the tower; the black granite was back. He turned back to where he had entered, not the least bit surprised to discover that the way had been blocked by that accursed granite. Whatever this passage led to, he had to go to it.

Spirits buoyed by his success in opening the passage, even in an enchantment, Mika sprung forward, following the corridor, eager but alert. He felt that this test was almost over, thank the Gods. He just had to hold out a little bit longer and everything would be okay. He'd rescue Kirin and become a Paladin of Ladon, and then they'd go back to Dauna, open the door to Obelisk, and deal with Myria. Things were falling into place just as Mika's footsteps fell hollow in the hallway.

He burst through the doorway at the other end of the corridor and skidded to a halt, crying out as a flash of light blinded him. In the light, he saw a group of people in a city that looked similar to Dragnier, yet it couldn't be; the city was clearly arid, a desert city, while Dragnier was green and lush and mild. Yet Mika couldn't deny that the architecture was Draconic in nature, and most of the people in the city appeared to be Dragons.

He'd just set himself to the task of trying to identify the group of people the vision focused on when the city fell apart. Mika watched in horror as the ground began to shake violently, great chasms opening up in the ground and swallowing the people whole. There was a great scream, a roar that spread over the city, deafening him. Mika squeezed his eyes shut against the vision and cried out in horror at what he was seeing.

When he opened them again, the roar hadn't diminished; instead, it was now in the room with him. To his left, Kirin hung suspended from the ceiling, trussed and tied firmly with her feet and hands bound tight, preventing her from using her claws to free her.

To his right was a group of children. Wyndian children, the youngest appearing to be merely days old. Mika himself was surrounded by glass on all sides. It would was already cracked and breaking, and he wouldn't need to do much to break the glass entirely.

But he only had time to break the glass in one direction, to his left or his right, because the roar was from a fireball hurtling down at them from the high domed ceiling. He had just enough strength to cast a protective spell over himself and Kirin, or himself and the ground of Wyndian children. The other would die.

One of the children's' voices rang out, cutting through the roar of the magical fire, screaming for father. Mika threw himself to the right, the words of his most powerful protection spell tumbling from his lips frantically. The protective light covered him and the kids even as the fireball crashed down around them; Mika cried out in stricken grief as Kirin screamed in utter agony.

The roar died down, and Kirin's scream echoed in Mika's head as he knelt in the midst of the broken glass, sobbing. He couldn't hear anything but Kirin anymore; even the cries of the frightened children he'd just saved seemed hollow and far away. "I don't want this!" he choked out through his tears. "I don't want to do this! Mina! _I don't want to do this!_ I can't! Bring her back! Bring her back and send us out of here! Mina? _Mina!_"

Mika broke down crying again, hugging himself and feeling utterly wretched. He failed. He failed the test, he'd let Kirin die, and now he had to somehow go back to the party and tell his cousin that he'd let them all down and let their companion get killed. He was the one who had come here to take the test, damn it, not her! It should have been him! He had half a mind to tell Mina to go do unpleasant things to herself when he heard the girl's voice, calling his name quietly, bewildered. Why the hell did she sound so damn confused?

"Mika, come on- snap out of it. Did you get hurt or something?"

His tears abruptly stopped with a gasp. That wasn't Mina's voice. "K-Kirin?"

The Woren girl stood before him, ears flat against her hair. Her tail flicked slightly when he responded. "Yeah." She stooped down and picked up a piece of the glass, and then turned it slightly. Mika gasped as he saw that it wasn't clear. "A mirror?"

"Yeah," Kirin repeated. "That whole test was literally smoke and mirrors." She pointed over to the opposite wall, where a mural of Wyndian children was painted. "It looks like that painting is enchanted to look like anything that the test-taker will feel obligated to rescue. If you'd tried to save me, that painting would be all that you would see once the smoke cleared."

Mika barely heard her explanation. His tears dried up and he stared at her, relieved. He scrambled to his feet and embraced her, his heart still pounding from the adrenaline of that final test. Kirin returned his hug with a sigh. "I figured that out myself, by the way. Mina- I'm assuming she's the one who's administering this thing- was absolutely useless. Wouldn't tell me a damn thing." She pulled away, looking over him to see if he'd been hurt, and then gasped. "Mika! Your hand!"

He pulled away abruptly, looking at the hand that Ladon's Cross had appeared on when he was in the enchanted replica of Duana Mine. It was still there, but it no longer ached. The lines glowed bluish-silver. Mika laughed in disbelief. "Mina?" he called out.

The girl materialized before him. "Yes, sir."

"Does…" He stuttered for a second, and then found his words again. "Does this mean what I think it does? I passed?"

Mina smiled and nodded. "With flying colors, Paladin Mika."

Mika laughed again, this time joyously, and embraced Kirin with renewed enthusiasm. He lifted her off the ground as she echoed his laughter and issued a Woren blessing. He quickly found that he was indeed still exhausted from the test, though, and lowered her to the floor. She looked up at him, and their eyes met, and they both froze.

After several seconds of them gazing at each other, Mina cleared her throat. "You seem surprised. Did you not realize that you had succeeded when Kirin revealed that she was still alive?" Mina asked. "Excellent deduction, by the way," she added to Kirin.

Kirin nodded to Mina, grinning, as Mika answered. "Didn't you hear me? I… I said I didn't want to be a Paladin anymore. If it meant having to make those decisions… I'm a teenager, in human years. In Draconic years, I'm an infant. I'm practically newborn still. I don't have that kind of wisdom. I made the right choice this time, but…"

"Remember the qualities I told you that you needed to show," Mina said when his voice trailed off. "Humility was the last of those."

"That's not humility," Mika contradicted, baffled. "That was cowardice and selfishness."

Mina shook her head. "It is a good thing for you that we take works in progress," she said laughingly. Before Mika could get upset about being laughed at, she said, "Your companions are just about dying of worry at this point. You should probably go. I'll send you back to them with my magic."

In the next instant, Mika and Kirin were standing in the middle of their company's camp, three sets of eyes on them, shocked and confused. Mika glanced around, looking for his brothers; seeing them lying peacefully next to the campfire, Mika grinned and headed off any questions by holding up the hand that had been marked by Ladon.

Congratulations poured forth boisterously, even from Gaist, and waking the children. The boys wouldn't think about going back to sleep until Mika and Kirin had told them about the ordeal, something Mika wished desperately he could get out of relating.

By the time the pair had finished their tale, the boys were asleep again and the others were in thoughtful silence. Gaist said, pensively, "So you say that your sincere desire to reject Ladon's blessing was interpreted as humility…"

"That's what I got from it," Mika replied.

Kirin's tail flicked. "That's how I interpreted it as well," she said. "Obviously, choosing to save many over one was a test, but how Mika felt afterwards was a test as well. Maybe, if he'd been proud of himself, rather than angry and hurt that he couldn't save everyone, he'd have failed. I wasn't released until you cried out that you'd changed your mind about it, Mika."

"Maybe, but how can anyone be proud of that?" Mika asked, bewildered. "I mean… in the position I was in, I had to let someone die. That… that didn't feel good. I hope I never have to do that again. I sure as hell don't want to do it for real."

"I don't blame you," Gaist said. "But you're going to be disappointed, on both counts. There are plenty of people who would simply pat themselves on the back, shrug, and carry on without another thought, if they're forced to make a choice like that." Gaist's voice had a tinge of guilt in it as he spoke. "You learn to accept that such choices are part of being a soldier, but if you're not careful, you become cavalier about it. There is a difference between accepting that death is a necessity, and merely not caring about it. Make sure you learn that difference well, Dark Dragon."

Mika nodded gravely. "I will," he said, knowing that the advice was good despite the source.

Silence descended again, leaving only the crackling of the campfire. "So, our plan should probably be that we spend the night where we are," Ryu said quietly, "and first thing in the morning, head back to the monastery, get any further instructions necessary from Lord Ganer, and then get back to Caer Xhan as quickly as we can. Agreed?" As the whole group gave their assent, even the children, Ryu nodded. "It's settled then. Everyone get some sleep. Things will start happening fast now that we can get into Obelisk. We need to be ready for absolutely anything."

* * *

Alex looked around, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. He didn't know how much more of this his human body could take. He knew exactly where his limits were; after all, he had created this body to his own specifications, and while he could have made it so much stronger, that wouldn't have been very realistic and would have most assuredly garnered more attention than he was willing to deal with. Not standing out was important for his goal.

But he had created it as being able to withstand illness and having a higher stamina than usual, at least in terms of human ability to use healing magic. Regardless of that, he was quickly running out of energy today. The needy and the ill kept coming, faster than they could heal them. They couldn't keep up, and now the healers were beginning to fall ill, as well.

He knew he had only a moment of peace. With that moment, he looked over at Mirielle. She looked as exhausted and pained as the rest of them, working as hard as them to save those that they could save. Perhaps she was even more pained than the rest of them. Alex knew what was going to happen, although he didn't know how. She knew what was going to happen, but she didn't know _when_.

As he was wondering which missing piece of information inflicted more anxiety and dread, he thought that perhaps his fear for her suffering a violent death was wrong. She was utterly exhausted, but they both knew she would not stop until each and every person had been seen and treated, or until she killed herself from her over-exertion. Maybe she too feared a violent death and was trying to avoid it- suicide by healing.

Alex smiled bitterly at the thought. Either way, she was about to die. He squared his stance; if Death wanted his beloved, she'd have to fight him for her. Mirielle might be resigned to this fate, but he sure as hell was not.

The young man began tending to the next patient, a small child who was, thankfully, merely suffering heat exhaustion. Alex summoned healing magic to his hands and laid them on the boy's body, noting in wonder that his hands could cover the child's entire chest. He altered how he was using his magic to give it a cooling effect. Almost immediately, the boy's labored breath came easier and his body temperature dropped. Alex brushed a hand over his forehead and face, and then lifted him in his arms. "He should be fine now," he said quietly, as he handed him back to the child's father. "Let him take a nap somewhere cool and dark, if possible."

The Dragon nodded tiredly, and Alex noted the pale haggardness in his face that marked the beginnings of Dragonplague. "Sir…"

"I know," the dragon replied. "I'm no danger to him. He's half-human."

"That's good to know but wasn't my concern."

The man smiled and cradled his son tenderly. "You're exhausted, healer. I'm still in the beginning stages. I have plenty of time to get treatment. Those who are sicker should get priority."

"I'd much rather deal with people before they get seriously ill," Alex replied seriously. "The sooner you get treated, the better your chances of survival are."

"So my chances would increase from nothing to a little bit."

Alex shook his head. "I don't know. But a better chance is a better chance. Any chance of survival is better than nothing."

He sighed. "I'll seek treatment tomorrow in the morning, if you are sure."

"I am quite sure," Alex replied, trying to think quickly. His foreknowledge of what was about to happen meant that he knew there would be no healing tomorrow. That day just might mean the difference between life and death for this man, but who was Alex to send him to? The only two healers he knew could still handle someone sick with Dragonplague were himself and Mirielle. Alex would have to draw on divine power to do so, thus blowing his cover, and Mirielle was close to death herself- possibly only minutes. He dared not instruct him to seek her out; doing so might put him in danger's path.

But…

Alex's conundrum was interrupted by a shout from one of the buildings. He looked up at the speaker, eyes narrowing. "Aldin…"

The Dragon Prince shouted from a balcony over and over again for attention; once he was sure he had most of it, he cried, "We know now the cause of the pestilence that is destroying us!" Alex bit his tongue; whatever Aldin was about to say, it was most likely a bold-faced lie, but he'd hold his peace until he knew that.

Aldin cleared his throat as, hearing his booming voice, more people in the streets below heard him. Alex looked over at Mirielle nervously; he sensed Death very close by. Whatever was happening, it would be the end of her. Alex's only hope was to stop him. He shouted for people to not listen, but his voice was lost in the murmuring press. Above, Aldin smiled predatorily. "And the cause stands in your midst, claiming to wish to help stem Dragonplague! High Priestess Mirielle has profaned our Lord Ladon's name-!"

"No!" Alex screamed as loud as he could. "No, she has not!"

"-and this disease, this pestilence is our punishment!" Aldin continued. Around him, Alex could hear and feel the crowd becoming angry. Couldn't anyone but him hear the self-satisfied, smug notes in his voice? The disgraced prince kept talking, speaking of horrific violations of her vows of a priestess, the heartless murder of a sick child with Dragonplague, of infidelity with a youth barely old enough to understand what he was doing with her… "Lies!" Alex shouted, and somewhere in the center of the mob, he could hear Mirielle's frightened denials as well. "Everything he's saying is lies! Not a single thing is true! She has not angered Ladon!"

But his efforts, and hers, were lost in an angry, throbbing mob desperate for something-or someone- to blame for their misfortune, and now they had someone to blame. Aldin hadn't even finished his sentence- that he knew Ladon would forgive them and take the plague away- before the stoning began.

Alex could do nothing but watch as the angry crowd fell on his beloved.


End file.
